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Andrew Poppas

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Andrew P. Poppas
Official portrait, 2022
Born1965 or 1966 (age 58–59)[1]
Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
Years of service1988–present
RankGeneral
Commands
Battles / wars
Awards
Alma mater

Andrew Peter Poppas[2] (born 1965 or 1966)[1] is a United States Army general who serves as the commanding general of the United States Army Forces Command since July 8, 2022.[3] He previously served as the director of the Joint Staff from 2020 to 2022. As director, he assisted the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in managing the Joint Staff and with the management and organization of the staff's members. He previously served as the director of operations of the Joint Staff,[4] where he served as the principal assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for global integration initiatives and current and future operations. He also served as the commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division.[5][6][7][4]

Early life and education

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Andrew Peter Poppas was born in 1965 or 1966 in Janesville, Wisconsin.[1] He is an American of Greek descent.[8] His father, George Poppas, was involved with the Greek resistance movement during World War II. Following the end of the war, he immigrated from Greece to the United States in 1946. After becoming an American citizen, he then served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War.[9]

Poppas holds a Bachelor of Science in National Security Affairs from the United States Military Academy, a Master of Science in Occupational Education from Kansas State University, and is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, the Senior Service College Fellowship at Harvard University and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.[4]

Military career

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Poppas was commissioned from the United States Military Academy in 1988 as a second lieutenant. His early career included time with the 3rd Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer, Virginia, as a rifle platoon leader, executive officer, and assistant operations officer; the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a company commander, operations officer, logistics officer, and in several other roles; and as a foreign area officer with the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion in Thessaloniki, Greece.[4][10]

Poppas served as an operations officer in the Operations Directorate (J3) of the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C., before returning to the 82nd Airborne Division in 2005. He was the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 505th Infantry, and then commanded 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, during which time he was also deployed to Iraq. Poppas later served in the 101st Airborne Division, first as the commander of its 1st Brigade Combat Team and then as the division's deputy commanding general (operations). In both roles, he had deployments to Afghanistan. Following this, he returned to Washington, D.C., as Deputy Director for Regional Operations and Force Management on the Joint Staff, and then was Director of Force Management in the Army Staff.[10] In 2017 he was made commander of the 101st Airborne Division[5] and in 2018 he was promoted to lieutenant general.[11] While serving as commander of the 101st Airborne he was deployed to Afghanistan again.[10]

He later served as the Director for Operations of the Joint Staff, and after that he was the Director of the Joint Staff. In 2022, Poppas became the commanding general of the United States Army Forces Command, the largest command in the Army,[10] and was promoted to general.[12]

Personal life

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He is married to his wife Beth, and they have three children.[10] As a foreign area officer, Poppas studied the Greek language at the Defense Language Institute.[4]

Awards and decorations

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Gen. Michael X. Garrett, outgoing FORSCOM commander (left), Gen. James C. McConville, chief of staff of the Army (middle) and Gen. Poppas, incoming FORSCOM commander (right), salute the flag at the 2022 FORSCOM change of command ceremony on July 8, 2022.
Combat Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge
Ranger tab
Air Assault Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
101st Airborne Division Combat Service Identification Badge
Master Greek Parachutist Badge
327th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
8 Overseas Service Bars
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Width-44 scarlet ribbon with width-4 ultramarine blue stripe at center, surrounded by width-1 white stripes. Width-1 white stripes are at the edges. Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and three oak leaf clusters
Purple Heart
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with "V" device, one silver and one bronze oak leaf clusters
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Commendation with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze star
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three campaign stars
Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze award numeral 5
NATO Meritorious Service Medal
NATO Medal for service with ISAF

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andrew P. Poppas.
  1. ^ a b c "Janesville native promoted to brigadier general". December 26, 2012.
  2. ^ "Andrew Peter Poppas". West Point Association of Graduates. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "New general slated to take over Army Forces Command". Army Times. June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Lt. Gen. Andrew P. Poppas". Joint Staff. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ a b "Poppas takes 101st command, Screaming Eagles bid farewell to Volesky". January 20, 2017.
  6. ^ "Defense Department Names Poppas Commander at Fort Campbell". November 25, 2016. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "General Poppas takes command of Fort Campbell". Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Greek-American Andrew Poppas Assigned Chief of US Army Forces Command". Greek Reporter. May 2, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "George Poppas Honored with 2022 Oxi Service Award". The Washington Oxi Day Foundation. November 23, 2022. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e "General Andrew P. Poppas". U.S. Army Forces Command. July 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "PN2681 — Maj. Gen. Andrew P. Poppas — Army". U.S. Congress. November 29, 2018.
  12. ^ "PN1901 — Lt. Gen. Andrew P. Poppas — Army". U.S. Congress. April 4, 2022.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States government.


Military offices
Preceded by
???
 Director of Regional Operations and Force Management of the Joint Staff
2014–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Director of Force Management of the United States Army
2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of the 101st Airborne Division
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Director for Operations of the Joint Staff
2019–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Director of the Joint Staff
2020–2022
Preceded by Commanding General of the United States Army Forces Command
2022–present 		Incumbent
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