General Michael E. Langley made history on August 6, 2022, as the first Black four-star general in the United States Marine Corps’ 246-year history. His promotion signifies a milestone in diversity and inclusion within the U.S. military.
Langley was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. His father, Willie C. Langley, was in the military and was a U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant.
His upbringing put him in many different environments with the Air Force bases. Later, he attended the University of Texas at Arlington and graduated with a degree in information systems analysis. He also holds master’s degrees in National Security Strategic Studies and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College and the U.S. Army War College, respectively. Commissioned via the Officer Candidates School as a Second Lieutenant in 1985, Langley started as an artillery officer and rose steadily through the ranks over his 37-year career. He has commanded every level from platoon to regiment, with key assignments that include operations in Japan and Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and Wildfire Support Missions in the United States.
He has also served as the commanding general of Marine Forces Europe and Africa and as deputy commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force.
On August 6, 2022, Langley was promoted to the rank of General in a commissioning ceremony that was held at Marine Barracks Washington. During this very special moment when the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General David Berger, managed the event, Langley highlighted this accomplishment as one that opens new visions in the military when the younger generations want to serve or have already become part of any military unit, branch, division, or department.
General Langley had taken over the commanding of AFRICOM after his promotion on August 9, 2022. He’s leading United States military forces in Africa, developing and building defense strategy and cooperation on the continent as such.
General Langley’s rise to four-star rank underlines the trajectory that has occurred in the Marine Corps to make this a more inclusive organization. His career stands as a testament of excellence that will inspire future leaders both in and out of the military.
In a first-of-its-kind court incident, a Florida judge had recently agreed on the admissibility of a virtual reality-augmented device and its presentation before trial in court within an aggravated assault case. What happened: potentially revolutionized – the delivery of evidence as argued and its assessment comes possibly for the very first time during a Criminal court hearing in U.S. Courtroom History.
The matter involves an indictment against Miguel Albisu, an owner of a wedding venue in Florida, for counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly brandishing a gun in some kind of altercation with guests. Albisu’s defense attorney, Ken Padowitz, had a VR simulation of the incident made using an Oculus Quest 2 headset. The VR animation was designed to be truly immersive-to put the judge and others in the courtroom right in the shoes of Albisu.
During a pre-trial hearing, Broward County Judge Andrew Siegel put on the VR headset to see the incident as Albisu reportedly experienced it – surrounded by drunk partygoers. Albisu’s defense is that he was acting in self-defense under Florida’s Stand-Your-Ground laws to protect himself and his property. We showed the judge not only a computer animation but also a virtual reality simulation-something that’s never been done in a courtroom before,” said defense attorney Padowitz.
