Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff
Col. Jeffery T. Harris
Col. Jeffery T. Harris is the Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Operational Test Command (OTC), a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, Fort Hood, Texas.
Col. Jeffrey T. Harris, a native of Decatur, Mississippi, enlisted in the 4/114 Field Artillery Battalion, Mississippi National Guard in 1979. Upon graduation from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Military Police branch.
Following the Military Police Officer Basic Course, Harris served in the 164th Military Police Company in Miesau, Germany, a heavy physical security unit. Upon completion of the Military Police Officer Advanced Course, he was assigned as the company commander of the 545th Military Police Company, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, and deployed with his unit in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Harris was reassigned to the U.S. Army Military Police School at Fort McClellan, Alabama, as a small group instructor and later as the Chief, Military Police Officer Basic Course. During this time, Harris deployed to Haiti on a Center for Army Lessons Learned mission as part of 18th Airborne Corps initial entry forces to reinstate President Aristead into power.
He then completed the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and was reassigned to the 18th MP Brigade in Mannheim, Germany, as the operations officer. Following that, Harris then served as the S3 for the 793rd Military Police Battalion in Bamberg, Germany, where he deployed with his unit to Kosovo as part of the initial entry forces with 1st Infantry Division.
His next assignment was as the Provost Marshal for 26th Area Support Group in Heidelberg, Germany. After that, Harris was reassigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he took command of the 22nd Military Police Battalion (Criminal Investigation Division), deploying with that unit to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during his third year in command.
Harris then attended the Navy War College in New Port, Rhode Island. He also earned a Master of Science Degree in administration at Central Michigan University. Following that, he served as the G3 for U.S. Army CID Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for a year before being selected to command the 202nd MP Group (CID) in Seckenheim, Germany.
Upon completion of command, Harris was selected to serve as the Provost Marshal for III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, where he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Harris currently serves as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander for the U.S. Army Operational Test Command at Fort Hood, Texas.
Awards and Honors:
- Legion of Merit Medal
- Bronze Star Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal
- Army Commendation Medal
- Army Achievement Medal
BACKGROUND
Col. Jeffery T. Harris assumed the responsibilities as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Operational Test Command in April 2012.
Education:
Central Michigan
University
Master of Science Degree in Administration
Navy War College
United States Army
Command and General Staff College
University of Southern Mississippi Bachelor of Science in
Criminal Justice
