Richard C. Staats is a retired U.S. Army

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and former commanding general of the

75th Innovation Command The 75th Innovation Command (75th IC) is a separate command of the United States Army Reserve.75th Innovation C ...

Career

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Rich Staats served as the Commanding General for the 75th Innovation Command, also known as the United States Army Reserve Innovation Command ( USARIC). Staats was commissioned at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

and served over 36 years of service in seven commands (2 companies, battalion, 2 brigades, 2 general officer commands) culminating in his command of

316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) The 316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) (ESC), is one of six general officer sustainment commands in the Army Reserve. It has command and control of more than 10,000 Army Reserve Soldiers throughout the northeastern United States. The ESC ...

and

75th Innovation Command The 75th Innovation Command (75th IC) is a separate command of the United States Army Reserve.75th Innovation C ...

. He served overseas in five commands including service in combat zones for three. Staats joint and interagency assignments include: Joint Staff, Defense Logistics Agency, Foreign Service Institute, and

Multinational Force Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...

. Staats military education consists of

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

company grade education, Joint and Combined Warfighting School, United States Army Command and General Staff College (Pershing Award), and the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

. Staats received a Ph.D. in

Operations Research Operations research ( en-GB, operational research) (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a discipline that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve deci ...

in 1994 from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

as a

Hertz Fellow The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation is an American non-profit organization that awards fellowships to Ph.D. students in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences. The fellowship provides $250,000 of support over five years. The ...

, and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the

US Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military officer ...

. In civilian life Dr. Staats has been a contributor at think-tanks in the DC metro area for 25 years. Dr. Staats is a Distinguished Fellow for the Institute for Stability and Transition. He is a previous member of the

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

for the parent organization for the

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

system. His book contributions and published articles largely focus on

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

and the theoretical value of information. He has been in the game design community since the 1970s and is a commercial music producer. He retired on July 15, 2021, after relinquishing command of the 75th Innovation Command on July 10.

Awards and decorations

Staats' decorations and medals include: * Legion of Merit ribbon

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Meritorious Service Medal * Joint Service Commendation ribbon

Joint Service Commendation Medal * Army Commendation Medal ribbon

Army Commendation Medal * United States Army Staff Identification Badge

Army Staff Identification Badge * US State Department

Superior Honor Award The Superior Honor Award is an award of the United States Department of State. Similar versions of the same award exist for the former U.S. Information Agency, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and USAID. It is presented to groups or individ ...

Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

* Polish Medal of Distinction

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Staats, Rich Year of birth missing (living people) Living people United States Army generals United States Army War College alumni