Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges
Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe/Seventh Army
A native of Quincy, Florida, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges graduated from the United States Military Academy in May 1980 and was commissioned in the Infantry.
After his first assignment as an Infantry Lieutenant in Germany, he commanded Infantry units at the Company, Battalion and Brigade levels at the 101st Airborne Division and in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. His most recent operational assignment was as Director of Operations, Regional Command South, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Lt. Gen. Hodges has also served in a variety of Joint and Army Staff positions to include Tactics Instructor at the Infantry School; Chief of Plans, 2nd Infantry Division in Korea; Aide-de-Camp to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Army Congressional Liaison Officer; Task Force Senior Observer-Controller at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, LA; Coalition/Joint -3 (CJ3) of Multi-National Corps-Iraq in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM; Chief of Staff, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg; and Director of the Pakistan Afghanistan Coordination Cell on the Joint Staff; Chief of Legislative Liaison for the United States Army.
His last assignment was as Commander, NATO Allied Land Command from 2012 to 2014.
COL Christopher R. Norrie
Commander, Operations Group - National Training Center
Colonel Christopher R. Norrie most recently commanded the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. His previous tours include Director of the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Coordination Group, Washington DC (2014-2015); Division G3 (Operations), 1st Armored Division; Commander, 6th Squadron, 1st U.S. Cavalry (Stryker Reconnaissance Squadron), 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; S3 (Operations), 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division with duty in Kirkuk Iraq (2010); S3 (Operations), 4th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry (Armored Reconnaissance Squadron), 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division with duty in Baghdad, Iraq (2006-2008); Secretary of the General Staff, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; Observer/Controller (Cobra Team), National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California; Commander, Tank and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 8th U.S. Cavalry with duty in Bosnia-Herzegovina; S4, 1st Battalion, 8th U.S. Cavalry, Fort Hood, Texas; Tank Company Executive Officer, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; Aide-de-Camo to the Deputy Commanding General (Maneuver), 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; and Tank and Scout Platoon Leader, 4th Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley.
Colonel Norrie is a Distinguished Military graduate of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania and holds Masters Degrees in Business Administration from Embry-Riddle University and in National Security Strategy from the National War College. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Armor Officer Basic Course, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and the Command and General Staff College.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (three awards, one with Valor), Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Iraq Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.