Lieutenant General Ottignon attended Ithaca College, was commissioned through the NROTC program in August 1987 and assigned as a Combat Engineer. He received a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Rochester's Simon School of Business in June 1997 and a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in June 1998.

Lieutenant General Ottignon has served in 3d Combat Engineer Battalion, 3d Marine Division; in 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group; as the Commanding Officer, 2d Combat Engineer Battalion, 2d Marine Division; Commanding Officer, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3d Marine Aircraft Wing, and as the Commanding General, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

His staff assignments include serving in the 1st Recruit Training Battalion, MCRD San Diego; as the Marine Officer Instructor, University of Rochester; as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, Headquarters Marine Corps; as the Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy; the Inspector General of the Marine Corps; as the Director, Manpower Management; and as the Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Lieutenant General Ottignon’s joint assignments include Engineer Plans Officer and Deputy Executive Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command; and Deputy Operations Director, U.S. European Command.

He has participated in peace keeping operations in Somalia (Operation Restore Hope), counter insurgency operations in the Southern Philippines (Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines) and combat operations in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom).

Lieutenant General Ottignon is a graduate of the Army Advanced Engineer Officer’s Course, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Naval Command and Staff College, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, and former CMC National Security Affairs Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.