Richard E. Angle is a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

who has served as the commander of Allied Special Operations Forces Command and Special Operations Command Europe since 4 October 2024. He served as the commanding general of the

1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) The 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) is a Division (military), division-level special operations forces command within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The command was first established in 1989 and reorganized in 2014 gro ...

from 2021 to 2023.

Military career and education

Angle was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1991 following graduation from

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

at West Point. His first assignment was with the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment in Germany as an infantry officer. Angle volunteered for Army Special Forces and subsequently graduated from the

Special Forces Qualification Course The Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) or, informally, the Q Course is the initial formal training program for entry into the United States Army Special Forces. Phase I of the Q Course is Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). ...

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

, North Carolina. Angle commanded a Special Forces Operational Detachment of the 2nd Battalion,

10th Special Forces Group The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (10th SFG (A), or 10th Group) is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) Group. 10th Group is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: Unconventional warfare (United States), ...

, with which he deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo. Following graduation from the Army Command and General Staff College, Angle was selected for the

Intelligence Support Activity The Intelligence Support Activity (ISA), also known at various times as Mission Support Activity (MSA), Office of Military Support (OMS), Field Operations Group (FOG), Studies and Analysis Activity (SAA), Tactical Concept Activity, Tactical Sup ...

in 2000, a secret unit conducting signal and human intelligence gathering for the

Joint Special Operations Command The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is a joint component command of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is charged with studying special operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equip ...

. He served as troop commander, squadron operations officer, unit operations officer, and later squadron commander. Angle took command of the 1st Battalion,

1st Special Forces Group The 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) (1st SFG) (A) is a unit of the U.S. Army Special Forces operating under the United States Pacific Command. It is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions throughout the Indo-Pacific Command ...

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

, Japan from 2008 to 2010. He later returned to ISA as unit commander from 2012 to 2014. Angle completed numerous deployments to Afghanistan, Africa, Pakistan, and Iraq. Angle then received assignment as Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Special Operations Command in 2017. As a general officer, Angle served as Deputy Commanding General, 1st Special Forces Command; Deputy Commanding General (Operations), United States Army Cyber Command; and then as Deputy Commander,

. In March 2021, he was assigned to succeed John W. Brennan Jr. as Commanding General, 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne). In September 2024, Angle was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general, with assignment as commander, Allied Special Operations Forces Command; and commander, Special Operations Command Europe, U.S. Special Operations Command,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Awards and decorations

References

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Angle, Richard E Living people Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals United States Army personnel of the Iraq War United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Year of birth missing (living people) United States Military Academy alumni