Major Justin R. McCann was raised in Greenwood, Arkansas. He attended Officer Candidate School in the summer of 2008 as part of the Platoon Leaders Course. Upon graduating from Henderson State University in 2009, he commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.
Following completion of The Basic School in 2010, he reported to 3d Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion (3d LAAD Bn). Where he served as S-2, Platoon Commander, LAAD Enhanced Training Instructor, and Officer in Charge of the initial LAAD Unit Deployment Program (UDP) supporting III MEF in Okinawa, Japan. Promoting to First Lieutenant in July of 2011 and Captain in October 2013.
Upon completion of the UDP, Major McCann served as 3d LAAD Bn S-3A and graduated from the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course. In March of 2014, Major McCann assumed command of Battery B. During this time, Battery B deployed supporting security operations in CENTCOM for exercise Eager Lion and Operation Inherent Resolve. While deployed, Major McCann was selected to attend Expeditionary Warfare School.
From 2015 to 2016, Major McCann attended Expeditionary Warfare School in Quantico, VA, where he received the Naval Institute’s General James Mattis Professional Writing Award for his argumentative research paper published as “Close the Counter-UAS Gap.”
From 2016-2019, Major McCann served as the Ground Based Air Defense Division Head at Marine Operation Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1) in Yuma, AZ, where he developed requirements and conducted test and evaluation for urgent operational needs and programs of record. In 2019, Major McCann selected to serve in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Joint Analysis and Lesson Learned Center (NATO’s JALLC) and subsequently frocked to Major.
From 2019 to 2022, Major McCann served on NATO’s JALLC’s training team providing lessons learned training to the Alliance’s organizations, member nations, and partners. During this time, he graduated from the USMC’s Command and Staff College (CDET) and the Joint Forces Staff College. Additionally, he was selected and placed in a Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) cohort for the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program.
In 2022, Major McCann reported to Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS where he was selected for the United Kingdom exchange program, obtained a Master's degree in Operational Studies, and graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School. In 2023, he once again returned to 3d LAAD Bn, where he is currently serving as the Battalion's Executive Officer.
Major McCann’s personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with one gold star), and the 2016 Naval Institute’s General James Mattis Professional Writing Award.
Major McCann holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation, an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master's degree in Operational Studies. He is married and has two children.