CHIEF OF STAFF
COL Robert L. Bethea Jr.Chief of Staff
Army Colonel Robert L. Bethea Jr. is the Defense Information Systems Agency Chief of Staff. He coordinates the efforts of a 6,600-member organization and manages a 6-billion-dollar-plus budget. He directs staff efforts to provide effective global command, control, and combat support systems for the President, Secretary of Defense, Combatant Commanders, Joint Staff, military departments, and combat support agencies.
Colonel Bethea was commissioned into the United States Army in 1982 from Norfolk State University, where he graduated as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics and Technology.
In 1983, he was assigned to the 7th Signal Brigade, in Mannheim, Germany where he served as a Radio Systems Officer, Signal Operations Platoon Leader, Assistant S3, and Battalion S3 of the 44th Signal, Mannheim, Germany.
After his assignments in Germany, Colonel Bethea was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas during the III Corps Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) fielding. Between 1988 to 1992, he was assigned to several positions in the 3d Signal Brigade and 1st Calvary Division, these positions include: Network Plans Officer, and Commander of Alpha Company, 57th Signal Battalion during Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. After returning from deployment, he was assigned as a Signal Plans Officer and Assistant Officer for the 1st Calvary Division, Ft. Hood, Texas.
In 1992, he transferred to Fort Gordon, Georgia where he served as a Small Group Leader for the Signal Officer Advanced Course. After attending the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Colonel Bethea returned to Fort Hood to serve as the Communications Officer for the Task Force XXI Experimental Force Coordination Cell (ECC), which supported the Army’s digitization effort for 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. Following his assignment in the EXFOR ECC, he was assigned as the Executive Officer of the 13th Signal Battalion, 1st Calvary Division.
In 1998, Colonel Bethea was assigned to the J6 Staff, United States Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii as a Joint C4I Planner until he was designated and selected as the Commander of the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE), MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida in 1999. In 2003, Colonel Bethea received a Master of Strategic Studies Degree from the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation from the Army War College, he was nominated and appointed as the Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Army in July of 2004. Following his assignment in the Pentagon, Colonel Bethea was assigned to the Multi-National Corps — Iraq where he served as the Deputy C6. COL Bethea assumed command of the 3d Signal Brigade, III Corps in June of 2005 and relinquished command of the brigade in April 2007 following a 15-month deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom — 06-08.
In September 2008, COL Bethea became the Chief of Staff of the Defense Information Systems Agency, Arlington, VA.
Colonel Bethea’s awards and decorations include: the Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; the Bronze Star Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters; Joint Service Commendation Medal; the Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters; the Army Achievement Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; the National Defense Service Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Award; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the South West Asia Service Medal; the Army Service Ribbon; the Overseas Service Ribbon; the Saudi Arabia Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia); the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait), and the Basic Parachutist Badge.