Stephen M. Twitty (born 1963) is a retired

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. Twitty assumed command of

First United States Army First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Kore ...

on July 15, 2016, relinquishing command to become deputy commander of

United States European Command The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russ ...

on 9 August 2018.Herb Trix (Aug 8, 2018) Twitty Leaves First Army
/ref> Previously, he was commanding general of

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, Ft. Bliss h ...

and the 1st Armored Division. Twitty was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an ...

during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Noted for his relationship with journalist David Bloom, who was embedded with his

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Twitty has served in five combat deployments, including tours in the Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait. He has commanded at the company,

, and

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

level during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Twitty is a graduate of

South Carolina State University South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a mem ...

and a member of the

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty ad ...

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...

. He was inducted into the South Carolina State University ROTC Hall of Fame in 2009, and selected as one of the university's Distinguished Alumni in 2004. Twitty has a highway named in his honor, State Highway 11, running through his hometown of Chesnee, South Carolina.

Early life and education

Born in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...

, Twitty is a native of Chesnee, South Carolina. He is a 1985 distinguished military graduate from

. Twitty also holds a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast ...

degree in Public Administration from

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. A ...

Military career

Twitty is an

infantryman Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

; his duty assignments include rifle platoon leader, scout platoon leader and battalion S-3 air officer from August 1985 to May 1989 with 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division at Fort Campbell. From October 1989 to May 1993, he served as the S-3 air officer for 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment during Operation Desert Storm; Aide-de-camp to the commanding general; and, commander of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division at

Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. ...

, Georgia. From May 1993 to 1994, Twitty served as a Joint Chiefs of Staff Intern in the Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5) in the Pentagon; and, from 1994 to 1995 he served as the speechwriter for the Army G-3. After completion of Command and General Staff College, he served as a G-3 operations officer with V Corps from June 1996 to April 1997 in Heidelberg, Germany, to include Operation Joint Endeavor in Tazar, Hungary. From April 1997 to June 1999, he served in Schweinfurt, Germany as the executive officer for 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, and the operations officer (S3) for 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.LTG STEPHEN M. TWITTY
(2016) ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY (AUSA), Arlington, VA From June 1999 to June 2001, Twitty served in Mons, Belgium at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe as the aide-de-camp to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and commander United States European Command, including during Operation Allied Response in Kosovo. From June 2001 to June 2003, Twitty commanded 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, ("3–15") including during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His battalion (Task Force 3–15) was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.In particular, on 7 April 2003, Twitty's battalion (TF 3–15) decisively defeated

swarming Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by entities, particularly animals, of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving ''en masse'' or migrating in some direction. ...

tactics in an all-day battle
Sean J. A. Edwards (Sept 2004), Doctoral thesis: Swarming and the Future of Warfare
pp280-286 From June 2003 to June 2004, he served as operations officer (G-3) for 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia. At Fort Bliss, he commanded 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division from August 2005 to March 2008, including during Operation Iraqi Freedom; later reflagged as 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division from March 2008 to July 2008. From July 2008 to July 2009, Twitty served as the executive officer to the deputy commanding general of U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. From July 2009 to September 2010, he served as the chief of staff, United States Army Central, Operation Iraqi Freedom. From September 2010 through March 2012, he served as the deputy commanding general (operations) for the 1st Armored Division at Ft. Bliss. From March 2012 to April 2013, Twitty served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Communication, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan. Twitty served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for

United States Army Forces Command United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest United States Army command. It provides expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM co ...

at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Twitty leaves First Army to serve as deputy commander of EUCOM on 9 August 2018.

Later career

Twitty founded consulting firm Twitty and Associates LLC. Twitty serves in a number of senior business positions including as Board Advisor at AI company Dataminr and robotics company Sarcos. He is a National Security and Military Analyst at

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politic ...

Awards and decorations

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of ei ...

(2nd award) * Expert_Infantry_Badge

Expert Infantryman Badge The Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB, is a special skills badge of the United States Army. The EIB was created with the CIB by executive order in November 1943 during World War II. Currently, it is awarded to U.S. Army personnel who hold infan ...

Ranger Tab In the United States Army, tabs are cloth and/or metal arches displaying a word or words signifying a special skill that are worn on U.S. Army uniforms. On the Army Combat Uniform and Army Service Uniform, the tabs are worn above a unit's Sho ...

Basic Parachutist Badge * AirAssault

Air Assault Badge The Air Assault Badge, U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, dated 18 January 1978, last accessed 16 October 2020 is awarded by the U.S. Army for successful completion of the Air Assault School. The course includes three phases of instruction involvi ...

Office of the 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 th ...

Army Staff Identification Badge The United States Army Staff Identification Badge is a badge of the United States Army worn by personnel who serve at the Office of the Secretary of the Army and the Army Staff at Headquarters, Department of the Army ( HQDA) and its agencies. N ...

3rd Infantry Division Combat Service Identification Badge * USEUCOM

Badge *

327th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia * ArmyOSB

Overseas Service Bar An Overseas Service Bar is an insignia worn by United States Army soldiers on the Army Service Uniform, and previously on the Army Green (Class A) and the Army Blue (Dress Blue) uniforms, that indicates the recipient has served six months oversea ...

s *

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

(1 OLC) *

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 ...

(3 OLC) *

Bronze Star 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 ...

(2 OLC) *

Meritorious Service Medal (4 OLC) *

Joint Service Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

(2 OLC) *

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to rece ...

(1 OLC) * Army Presidential Unit Citation *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

(with 1

Service Star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or s ...

) *

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...

Southwest Asia Service Medal The Southwest Asia Service Medal (SASM or SWASM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service members ...

(with 2 service stars) *

Kosovo Campaign Medal The Kosovo Campaign Medal (KCM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established by of President Bill Clinton on May 3, 2000. The medal recognizes military service performed in Kosovo from March 24, 1999 through December 31, 2013 ...

* Afghanistan Campaign Medal *

Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of U.S. President George W. Bush on 29 November 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005 ...

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOT-EM) is a United States Armed Forces award created by George W. Bush on 12 March 2003, through Executive Order 13289. The medal recognizes those military service members who have deployed ove ...

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military servic ...

Armed Forces Service Medal The Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) is a military award of the United States military that was created on January 11, 1996, by President Bill Clinton under . The AFSM is a deployed service medal that is presented to those service members who e ...

Army Service Ribbon The Army Service Ribbon (ASR) is a military award of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990. History Effective 1 A ...

Army Overseas Service Ribbon (with bronze award numeral "6") *

NATO Medal The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is manufactured by Eekelers-Centini Intl, of Hemiksem, Belgium. ...

for the former Yugoslavia * Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) * Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Personal life

Twitty is married to Karen Wilson Twitty and has two daughters.El Paso Times, (5-27-2013) Twitty recalls his troops
accessdate=2014-08-07 Upon relinquishing command of First Army, Twitty noted that his grandfathers had served in First Army, in a segregated military, and that First Army's centenary would be 100 years, on the next day, 10 August 2018.W. Wayne Marlow (August 9, 2018) Lt. Gen. Twitty relinquishes command of First Army
/ref>

Early life and education

Military career

Later career

Awards and decorations

Personal life

References

External links