Commander, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

COL Robert M. Ryan enlisted in the Army in 1984 and was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, with the 1st Ranger Bn., 75th Ranger Regiment.  COL Ryan served from 1984-1989 as a rifleman, PLT RTO, team leader and squad leader.  In 1993, COL Robert Ryan was commissioned into the Infantry as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the ROTC program at Cornell University.  After attending the Infantry Officer Basic Course, COL Ryan was assigned to the 6th Brigade (Light) at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.  There he was assigned to the 4th Bn., 9th Infantry Regiment and served as a rifle platoon leader, scout platoon leader, and company executive officer.  In 1995, COL Ryan returned to Fort Benning, Georgia, and assumed duties as a Ranger rifle platoon leader and executive officer with the 3rd Ranger Bn., 75th Ranger Regt. COL Ryan attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course in 1998 and was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he served as the assistant operations officer for 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt. (Mechanized).

In 1998 COL Ryan assumed command of C Co., 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt. (Mechanized) and deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo from 1999-2000.  After leaving Fort Riley, COL Ryan returned to the 75th Ranger Regt. and served as the 3rd Ranger Bn.’s assistant operations officer prior to assuming command of A Co., 3rd Ranger Bn.  As a staff officer and company commander, COL Ryan deployed during the initial combat operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.  He was then selected for a third company command as the 75th Ranger Reconnaissance Detachment commander.  In this capacity COL Ryan deployed to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq for over 18 months during his two years of command.

In 2005, COL Ryan attended the U.S. Air Force Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, where he received a Masters of Military Arts and Science.  In 2006, COL Ryan returned back to 3rd Bn., 75th Ranger Regt. to serve as a Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) commander and Joint Task Force Operations Officer, Ranger battalion operations officer, and Regimental Special Troops battalion executive officer.  From 2009-2010, COL Ryan completed his tour with U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) as the aide-de-camp for the commanding general, USASOC. 

From 2010 to 2012, COL Ryan commanded the 4th Bn., 31st Inf. Regt. at Fort Drum, N.Y.  He was then assigned with the 2nd Brigade Command Team, 10th Mountain Division as the brigade’s deputy commander in Patika Province, Afghanistan.  In 2013, COL Ryan returned to Fort Benning and assumed duties as the battalion commander for the Regimental Special Troops Bn., 75th Ranger Regt.  During his tenure at the Regimental Special Troops Bn., he also served as the Joint Task Force Commander, in Kabul, Afghanistan.  COL Ryan recently graduated from the Naval War College and earned a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

COL Ryan’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (2 “V” devices, 1 silver and 2 bronze oak leaf clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (1 silver oak leaf cluster), Army Commendation Medal (1 “V” device, 1 silver oak leaf cluster), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (1 silver oak leaf cluster), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (with arrowhead device), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Valorous Unit Award, Afghan Campaign Medal (3 service stars), Master Parachutist Badge (with bronze combat service star), Military Freefall Master Parachutist Badge, and Ranger Tab.

COL Ryan is married to the former Christine Clarke of Syracuse, N.Y., and they have two children, Colin, currently serving in the US Navy, and Haley who is entering her sophomore year at West Georgia University.