Eric J. Wesley (born 1964) is the Executive Vice President of Flyer Defense, a manufacturer of mission specialized, lightweight, off-road wheeled tactical vehicles capable of internal transport in rotary and tilt wing aircraft. Wesley is a former
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 ...
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 ...
who retired from the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
on September 1, 2020.
Early life
The son of Donna and Richard Wesley, an
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astr ...
engineer, Eric John Wesley grew up in
Yorba Linda, California, where he was a student and
water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
player. He attended
Troy High School in
Fullerton, California and was interested in military service from an early age.
Wesley commissioned as an armor lieutenant from 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 ...
at West Point in 1986. He retired from the Army September 1, 2020.
[General ]Joseph M. Martin
Joseph Matthew Martin (born 29 December 1962) is a retired general in the United States Army who served as the 37th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as the director of the Army Staff in Washington, D.C.
E ...
br>Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (9 Jul 2020) Retirement Ceremony honoring Lt. Gen. Eric J. Wesley
Effective Tuesday 1 September 2020. A virtual ceremony using live cannon and Army bandsmen.
Junior and field officer career
Wesley's first assignments included tank
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...
leader, scout platoon leader, and battalion logistics officer for 2nd Battalion,
70th Armor Regiment
The 70th Armor Regiment is an armored (tank) unit of the United States Army. It was constituted as the 70th Tank Battalion in July 1940, an independent tank battalion intended to provide close support to infantry units. In this role, it saw acti ...
, of the
1st Armored Division in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
, Germany. He then commanded a tank company in 1st Battalion,
34th Armor,
1st Infantry Division,
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...
, Kansas until December 1993. For the next few years, he was assigned to the
United States Army's Special Operations Command where he was deployed in support of
Operations Joint Guard and
Joint Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In 1998, Wesley was assigned to the 2nd Brigade of the
3rd 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, where he held several leadership positions including battalion and brigade operations officer and brigade executive officer. Four years later, he deployed with the same brigade to
Operation Desert Spring in Kuwait and then, in 2003, his brigade led the United States Army's 3rd Infantry Division's invasion into
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
, Iraq in what would later be called
Operation Iraqi Freedom. His leadership roles in the invasion were captured in books written by embedded journalists including
David Zucchino
David Zucchino is an American journalist and author.
Career
Zucchino was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in the Feature Writing category in 1989 for his series ''Being Black in South Africa'', written for ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''.
In 2020, Zucchi ...
's book "Thunder Run," an account of the division's strike into Baghdad and Bing West's "No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah".
Upon redeployment, he led the effort to move the 3rd Infantry Division to a modular organization.
As a lieutenant colonel, Wesley returned to Fort Riley, Kansas in June 2004 and assumed command of the 1st Tank Battalion, 13th Armor Regiment. He deployed the "13th Tank" back to Baghdad, Iraq and conducted combat operations there from January 2005 to January 2006. Upon his redeployment back to Fort Riley, he relinquished command and became the operations officer of the 1st Infantry Division until June 2007.
Following this command from August until June 2008, he attended the
National War College at
Fort Lesley J. McNair
Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Cha ...
,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and then returned to the "Big Red One" at Fort Riley, Kansas and assumed command of the
1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.
After finishing brigade command Wesley deployed to
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, Afghanistan and served as the chief of current plans for the
International Security Assistance Force
' ps, کمک او همکاري '
, allies = Afghanistan
, opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda
, commander1 =
, commander1_label = Commander
, commander2 =
, commander2_label =
, commander3 =
, command ...
in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom. Following this deployment, Wesley served from August 2011 through to June 2013 in the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
on the
National Security Council as the Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In this capacity, he led inter-agency efforts to develop policy including a decreasing posture of forces in Afghanistan and subsequently deployed back to Afghanistan to be the director for future plans in ISAF's joint command.
General officer
Wesley was promoted to
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in 2014 while in Kabul, Afghanistan.
While in this role, he reorganized the numbers of deployed personnel in the country under the direction of General
Joseph Dunford
Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. (born December 23, 1955) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general, who served as the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2015, until September 30, 2019. He was the 36th command ...
and Milley. Subsequently selected to serve as the Deputy Commanding General for Support for the 1st Infantry Division, Wesley returned to Fort Riley, Kansas in September 2014 where he was the acting senior mission commander at the base while the division was deployed.
Following completion of this assignment Wesley was assigned to the
Pentagon as the deputy director for program analysis and evaluation for the Army's G8, where he led the Army's efforts to improve Army acquisition.
In January 2017, Wesley was nominated for promotion to the rank of
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 ...
. He was assigned as the Commanding General, United States Army
Maneuver Center of Excellence and
Fort Benning, Georgia, where he oversaw the initial integration of women into
infantry
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 ...
and
armor
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...
branches and the Army's
Ranger School
The United States Army Ranger School is a 62-day small unit tactics and leadership course that develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles.
Ranger training wa ...
. While there he led the effort to reorganize the Army's maneuver force into what would later become a multi-domain capable force
Subsequently, on April 12, 2018, Wesley was nominated for a third star and promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, assuming the responsibilities as Director of Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) and deputy commanding general of
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine. ...
. Wesley was then tapped to lead the task force responsible for standing up the Army's new four-star command in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
–
Army Futures Command
The United States Army Futures Command (AFC) is a United States Army command, designed as a public-private initiative, that runs modernization projects for the Army. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and was first commanded by General John M ...
while simultaneously transitioning the Army's Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC), headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia, from
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine. ...
to
Army Futures Command
The United States Army Futures Command (AFC) is a United States Army command, designed as a public-private initiative, that runs modernization projects for the Army. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and was first commanded by General John M ...
As the Deputy Commanding General of Army Futures Command and head of its Futures and Concepts Center, headquartered at
Joint Base Langley Eustis in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, Wesley led the Army's effort to accelerate the development of the Army's new war fighting concept –
Multi Domain Operations – the most fundamental rewrite of an operational concept since AirLand Battle was published in 1982.
He was an Army advocate of adapting modernization in accordance with this new concept and actively communicates the precepts with think tanks, academia, heads of other armies, and policy makers. By September 2020 a
Joint exercise against cruise missile surrogates demonstrated AI-based kill chains which can be formulated in seconds, and a precision fires kill of a cruise missile surrogate by an Army howitzer at
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area and firing range located in the US state of New Mexico. The range was originally established as the White Sands Proving Ground on 9July 1945. White Sands National P ...
.
[Theresa Hitchens (3 Sep 2020) ABMS Demo Proves AI Chops For C2]
/ref>
Personal life
Wesley is married to Cynthia Wesley and they have three children, Tyler, Austin, and Meredith. He has earned masters degrees from the National War College (National Security and Strategic studies) and Troy University (International relations).
Awards and decorations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wesley, Eric J.
Living people
1964 births
United States Army generals
People from Yorba Linda, California
United States Army personnel of the Iraq War
United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Troy University alumni
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
United States Military Academy alumni
National War College alumni
Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Recipients of the Legion of Merit