Jeffrey S. Buchanan is a retired lieutenant general of the United States Army. He was the commander of the United States Army North (Fifth Army). He also served as the senior commander of Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis.

Education

He has a Bachelor of Science in wildlife ecology from the University of Arizona and a Master of Arts in leadership development from the United States Military Academy.

Military career

He was commissioned a lieutenant in the infantry in May 1982 after graduating from the University of Arizona. He has served four tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He has held command or staff positions in the 82nd Airborne Division, 25th Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division, and 10th Mountain Division, as well as the U.S. Military Academy and the National Training Center. Recent assignments have included serving as the Deputy Commanding General of I Corps (2012–2013), commander of the US Army Military District of Washington/Joint Force Headquarters-National Capitol Region (2013–2015), and Resolute Support DCOS-Operations/Deputy Commander (Operations) for US Forces-Afghanistan (2015–2016). He was commander of United States Army North from August 26, 2016. until his retirement on July 9, 2019, when he handed command over to Lieutenant General Laura J. Richardson in a change of command ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

He also led Operation Khanjar ("strike of the sword").

In September 2017 he was dispatched to Puerto Rico, a week after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria. His assignment was to lead all military hurricane relief efforts there and to see how the military can be more effective in the recovery effort, particularly in dealing with the thousands of containers of supplies that are stuck in port because of "red tape, lack of drivers, and a crippling power outage".

Personal life

Buchanan and his wife, Laura have three children and 3 grandchildren

Dates of rank

RankDate
Second lieutenantMay 17, 1982
First lieutenantNovember 26, 1983
CaptainFebruary 1, 1986
MajorSeptember 2, 1993
Lieutenant colonelMay 1, 1998
ColonelMarch 1, 2004
Brigadier generalOctober 2, 2008
Major generalAugust 3, 2011
Lieutenant generalAugust 18, 2016

Awards and decorations

Over the course of his military career, LTG Buchanan has been awarded the following:

Medals and badges
BadgeCombat Infantryman Badge
1st rowDistinguished Service Medal with 1 Oak leaf cluster (2 awards)Defense Superior Service Medal with 1 Oak leaf cluster (2 awards)
2nd rowLegion of Merit with 3 Oak leaf clusters (4 awards)Bronze Star with 2 Oak leaf clusters (3 awards)Defense Meritorious Service Medal
3rd rowMeritorious Service Medal with 4 Oak leaf clusters (5 awards)Army Commendation Medal with 1 Oak leaf cluster (2 awards)Joint Service Achievement Medal
4th rowArmy Achievement Medal with 1 Oak leaf cluster (2 awards)National Defense Service Medal with 1 Service starAfghanistan Campaign Medal with 1 Campaign star
5th rowIraq Campaign Medal with 1 Campaign starGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service Medal
6th rowArmy Service RibbonArmy Overseas Service Ribbon with Award numeral 6NATO Medal for service with ISAF
BadgesMaster Parachutist BadgeRanger TabAir Assault Badge
Other accoutrements
Expert Infantryman Badge
Spanish Parachutist Badge
187th Infantry Regiment Distinctive unit insignia
10th Mountain Division Combat service identification badge

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army.

External links

Media related to Jeffrey S. Buchanan at Wikimedia Commons