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Paul D. Eaton (born 1950) is a former United States Army officer who commanded the operations to train Iraqi troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Eaton served in that capacity between 2003 and 2004, and then returned to the US to become Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Training, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia. He previously served as Senior Adviser to the now-defunct National Security Network, a progressive Washington, D.C.–based think tank focused on foreign policy and defense issues.
Eaton followed in his father's footsteps to West Point in 1968, graduating with the class of 1972. He is fluent in French language, receiving a Master of Arts from Middlebury College in French and Political Science.
As a colonel in the mid-1990s he commanded an Army brigade in Germany and following promotion to brigadier general was the assistant division commander of the 1st Armored Division. In 2000, he returned to the U.S. to serve as deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Infantry Center and School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and later he led the creation of the Army's new Stryker brigades at Fort Lewis, Washington. As a major general he returned to Fort Benning to be commanding general of the Army Infantry Center and School. He was then assigned to Iraq as Commanding General of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT), where he was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004. U.S. Army General Dubbed Father of the Iraqi Army
Following the first Iraqi army battalion's graduation, their first mission received heavy casualties and raised questions about the efficacy of Iraqi soldiers trained under U.S. supervision. During an initial mission in April 2004 to assist U.S. Marines in Fallujah and under the supervision of a Marine advisory team, the Iraqi soldiers ran from the scene when they first were attacked by insurgents. "The convoy got stalled when one of the IAF soldiers driving one of the trucks simply jumped out and ran, leaving the truck running. This truck struck a civilian vehicle, creating a jam that prevented part of the convoy from moving. About 30 Iraqi soldiers were lost in this ambush. Some simply ran away, some sold their AK-47s and donned civilian clothes, and some had civilian clothes under their uniforms, so they simply took off their uniforms and ran." The Marine advisors managed to salvage the convoy and get them to safety, but with significant casualties. What was a battalion of 695 Iraqi soldiers has been reduced significantly with 30 casualties in the ambush, alongside 8 wounded, 24 combat deserters, 104 mutineers, 78 AWOL (absent without leave) and 170 on leave. This stands in contrast to the support of Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the senior U.S. commander in Iraq, whose remarks during the Iraqi battalion's graduation spoke of "high expectations that in fact they would help us bring security and stability back to the country."
Upon return to the US he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Training, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Fort Monroe, Virginia.
Eaton asserted that President George W. Bush did not heed the advice given by his military commanders. Night of the Generals, Vanity Fair (magazine), David Margolick, September 16, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2024] Eaton appeared on Bill Maher's HBO talk show and spoke out strongly against those who launched the Iraq War. In 2008 Eaton served as an advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Following Clinton's concession of the Democratic primary, Eaton has made several appearances in support of Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign. In July 2016, Eaton appeared in a political campaign ad critical of Donald Trump, using the catchphrase "Too Dangerous for America."
Eaton currently serves as a senior advisor to the Vet Voice Foundation which encourages veterans to be active participants in their return to civilian life.
In the 2024 United States presidential election, Eaton endorsed Kamala Harris.
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