H. Steven Blum (born October 13, 1946) is a retired

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. He served as the 25th

chief of the National Guard Bureau The chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) is the highest-ranking officer of the National Guard and the head of the National Guard Bureau. The position is a statutory office (), held by a federally recognized commissioned officer who has serv ...

from 2003 to 2008. His last assignment before retiring was deputy commander,

United States Northern Command United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protect ...

, where he concurrently served as vice commander, United States Element,

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

. He retired from the Army National Guard on May 21, 2010.

Early life and education

Blum was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, on October 13, 1946. He attended Forest Park High School, graduating in 1963. He obtained his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

from the

University of Baltimore The University of Baltimore (UBalt, UB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt's schools and colleges provide education in business, law, public affairs, and the applied arts and sc ...

in 1968. Soon after graduating, Blum enlisted in the

Maryland Army National Guard The Maryland Army National Guard (MD ARNG) is the United States Army component of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is headquartered at the old Fifth Regiment Armory at the intersection of North Howard Street, 29th Division Street, near Martin Lut ...

. His unit was activated in April 1968, in response to the

Baltimore riot of 1968 The Baltimore riot of 1968 was a period of civil unrest that lasted from April 6 to April 14, 1968, in Baltimore. The uprising included crowds filling the streets, burning and looting local businesses, and confronting the police and national gua ...

that broke out following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Blum would later recall that "he heard more shots fired in the weeks he worked downtown Baltimore's streets than during any of his other deployments – at home or abroad." Blum taught

United States history The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

at Pimlico Junior High School before accepting a full-time position with the Army National Guard in 1971. He received 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 t ...

degree in

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

from

Morgan State College Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

in 1973. Blum is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, and is a member of

Jewish War Veterans The Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America (also referred to as the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A., the Jewish War Veterans, or JWV) is an American Jewish veterans' organization created in 1896 by American Civil War veterans to rai ...

Military career

Blum received his commission from

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Ty ...

on August 28, 1971, graduating with honors. He subsequently carried out staff and command assignments at every level from

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 ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, including command of a Special Forces Operational Detachment-A, Light Infantry Battalion, Infantry Brigade, and Division Support Command. Blum's general officer assignments included

Assistant Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

for the

, assistant division commander (support) and commander of the 29th Infantry Division (Light), and chief of staff,

Operation Joint Forge

Blum served as commanding general for Multinational Division (North) Stabilization Force 10 in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

during 2001 and 2002 as part of

Operation Joint Forge The Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. I ...

. During his tenure at SFOR, Blum received high marks for his military and diplomatic ability to command and coordinate multiple units of various nations. In his last work, ''To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian'', the late historian

Stephen Ambrose Stephen Edward Ambrose (January 10, 1936 – October 13, 2002) was an American historian, most noted for his biographies of U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He was a longtime professor of history at the University of New O ...

compared Blum favorably to Dwight Eisenhower in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Chief of the National Guard Bureau

Timothy Nein receives Distinguished Service Cross

In April 2003 Blum was appointed chief of the National Guard Bureau and promoted to lieutenant general. When his term expired in 2007 he received a two-year extension. As chief of the National Guard Bureau, Blum was the senior uniformed

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

officer, responsible for formulating, developing, and coordinating all policies, programs, and plans affecting more than half a million federalized and nonfederalized Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel. Appointed by the U.S. president, he served as the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and Chief of Staff of the Army, and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on all National Guard issues. His duties also included serving as the Army's and Air Force's official channel of communication with state

governors A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and adjutants general concerning the 54 state and territorial National Guards. Blum served as chief until November, 2008 and was succeeded by Craig R. McKinley.

United States Northern Command

Following his term as chief of the National Guard Bureau, Blum was assigned as Deputy Commander of the United States Northern Command. As deputy commander, United States Northern Command, Blum helped lead the command to anticipate, prepare, and respond to threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests within the assigned area of responsibility and, as directed by the president or Secretary of Defense, provided defense support to civil authorities including consequence management operations. He served at NORTHCOM until retiring in May, 2010.

Later work

After his retirement from the military, Blum accepted a position as managing director and group practice leader with the Sitrick Brincko Group. He was also an Executive in Residence at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, School of Education, Division of Public Safety and Leadership. As of 2012, Blum is affiliated with Blakely Educational Services, Inc., a firm which provides educational services to the United States military, its allies, and for other organizations.

NAACP Meritorious Service Award

On July 18, 2006, Blum was awarded the NAACP Meritorious Service Award at their 31st annual Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Awards banquet. Some atheists and agnostics objected to certain remarks about their lack of religious belief, and his paraphrased repetition of the "no atheists in foxholes" assertion. According to Blum in his remarks: "The strength of this nation is that it's not homogeneous. We don't all look alike. We don't all think alike. We don't all play alike. We don't all have the same physical attributes."

Civilian education

*1968

degree in

, Baltimore, Maryland *1973

, Baltimore, Maryland

Military education

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 ...

(1989) *

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

(1978) In addition, Blum is a graduate of: *

United States Army Airborne School The United States Army Airborne School – widely known as Jump School – conducts the basic paratrooper (military parachutist) training for the United States Armed Forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry, Unit ...

(1969) * Special Forces Operations Course (1971) *

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 ...

Officer Basic Course (1972) *Special Forces Jumpmaster Course (1973) * First U.S. Army Counter-Sniper Course (1974) *Infantry Officer Advanced Course (1975) * Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Officer/Enlisted Course (1979) *

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. As ...

, National Security Management Course (1981) * Air Assault School (1986) *Project Management Course (1989) *National Guard Bureau Executive Environmental Leadership Seminar (1990) *

Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) is a U.S. Department of Defense joint services school and research laboratory located at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, offering both resident and off-site courses, and working in are ...

, Equal Opportunity Leadership Training (1991) *National Guard Total Quality Leadership and Management Seminar on Facilitation and Team Leadership (1991) *McManis Associates Seminar on Implementing Total Quality Leadership and Management (1991)North Atlantic *Treaty Organization, Stabilization Force
Biography, H Steven Blum
accessed June 7, 2013.

Assignments

# August 1971 – September 1972, S-3, Detachment B3, Company B, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Maryland Army National Guard # October 1972 – August 1974, air operations officer, Headquarters Detachment, 5th Special Forces Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, Maryland Army National Guard # August 1974 – August 1976, Battalion S-2, Headquarters Detachment, 5th Special Forces Battalion, 20th Special Forces, Maryland Army National Guard # September 1976 – November 1977, Recruiting and Retention Officer, Headquarters Detachment, Maryland Army National Guard # November 1977 – August 1978, commander, Special Forces Operations Detachment-A, Company B, 5th Special Forces Battalion, 20th Special Forces, Maryland Army National Guard # September 1978 – October 1978, Recruiting and Retention Officer, Headquarters Detachment, Maryland Army National Guard # October 1978 – June 1981, Special Forces Operations Officer, Command and Control, Headquarters, Maryland Army National Guard # July 1981 – September 1981, Marksmanship Program Administrator, Headquarters Detachment, Maryland Army National Guard # October 1981 – September 1982, Training Administrator, Headquarters Detachment, Maryland Army National Guard # October 1982 – November 1984, Director Plans, Operations and Training, Headquarters, State Area Command, Maryland Army National Guard # December 1984 – July 1985, Mobilization Operations Officer, Headquarters, State Area Command, Maryland Army National Guard # August 1985 – September 1987, battalion commander, Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard # October 1987 – October 1988, executive officer, Headquarters, 3rd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard # November 1988 – January 1989, Operations and training officer, Headquarters, State Area Command, Maryland Army National Guard # January 1989 – August 1992, director, Plans, Operations, and Training, Headquarters, Maryland Army National Guard # September 1992 – July 1995, commander, 3rd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard # July 1995 – August 1996, commander, Division Support Command, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard # August 1996 – July 1999, assistant division commander, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Maryland Army National Guard # August 1999 – October 2001, commanding general, 29th Infantry Division (Light), Virginia Army National Guard # October 2001 – April 2002, commanding general, Multi National Division (North), Stabilization Force 10, Operation Joint Force, Bosnia and Herzegovina # April 2002 – August 2002, commanding general, 29th Infantry Division (Light),

Virginia Army National Guard The Virginia Army National Guard is composed of approximately 7000 soldiers and maintains 46 armories in communities throughout Virginia. The Governor may call individuals or units of the Virginia National Guard into state service during emerg ...

# August 2002 – April 2003, chief of staff, United States Northern Command,

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the N ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

# April 2003 – November 2008, chief, National Guard Bureau,

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

# January 2009 – May 21, 2010, deputy commander, United States Northern Command and vice commander, United States Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado

Awards and decorations

Dates of rank

References

External links

LTG Blum USNORTHCOM Biography

LTG Blum National Guard Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blum, H Steven 1946 births Living people Jewish American military personnel University of Baltimore alumni Morgan State University alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals National Guard (United States) generals Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau 21st-century American Jews