Sean MacFarland

Lieutenant General Sean Barry MacFarland (born February 12, 1959) is a retired three-star general who served in the United States Army.[1][2][3]

Sean MacFarland
Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland in April 2017
Born	February 12, 1959 New York City, United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1981–2018
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Deputy Commander, TRADOC III Corps 1st Armored Division 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment
Battles/wars	Gulf War Iraq War Battle of Ramadi War in Afghanistan Military intervention against ISIL
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal with "C" device Army Distinguished Service Medal (3) Defense Superior Service Medal (3) Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal (3) Meritorious Service Medal (5)

In 2015 MacFarland, then commanding III Corps, was selected as commander of the coalition against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.[4] MacFarland and III Corps thus became responsible for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).[5] MacFarland handed over command to Lieutenant General Stephen J. Townsend and the XVIII Airborne Corps in August 2016.[6][7][8][9] He became deputy commanding general and chief of staff for the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command in April 2017,[10][11] and retired from active duty 27 February 2018.[12]

Career

MacFarland was commissioned into the United States Army in 1981 and has served in armor and cavalry units throughout his career. He was a cavalry platoon leader and troop executive officer in 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Bliss, Texas, the Squadron S4 and the commander of A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 12th Cavalry in Buedingen, Germany, S3 and XO of 3rd and 1st Squadrons, respectively, of the 4th Cavalry in Schweinfurt, Germany and in Bosnia. He commanded 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor in Macedonia and Vilseck, Germany. He also commanded 1st Brigade Combat Team (Ready First), 1st Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany and in Iraq, where the Ready First fought in Tal Afar, Sinjar, Hit and Ramadi. Most recently, he was Commanding General of Fort Bliss, Texas and the 45th Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division (Old Ironsides).

Other assignments included: US Army's lead action officer for combat development of National Missile Defense interceptors at Ft. Bliss, Deputy Regimental S3 of 3rd ACR during Desert Shield/Storm, Deputy G3, 1st Infantry Division in Wuerzburg, Germany; Chief of the 3rd Army Commander's Initiative Group at Ft. McPherson, Georgia and in Kuwait during Operation Desert Thunder; Aide de Camp for the US Army Europe CG in Heidelberg and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Chief of Future Operations for Combined/Joint Task Force 7 in Baghdad, Iraq; G3 of V Corps in Heidelberg, Germany; Chief of the Joint Staff J5's Iraq Division in Washington, DC; Commanding General of Joint Task Force North at Ft. Bliss, Deputy Commanding General for Leader Development and Education and the Deputy Commandant of the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and was dual-hatted as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and the Deputy Commanding General for Operations for US Forces Afghanistan.

Awards

MacFarland is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, the Command and General Staff College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He also earned a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech.

	Combat Action Badge
	Basic Parachutist Badge
	Air Assault Badge
	Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
	1st Armored Division Combat Service Identification Badge
	3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
	9 Overseas Service Bars

Defense Distinguished Service Medal with "C" device

Army Distinguished Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters

Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster

Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters

Joint Service Commendation Medal

Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster

Army Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters

Joint Meritorious Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters

Navy Unit Commendation

Army Superior Unit Award

National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

Southwest Asia Service Medal with two campaign stars

Kosovo Campaign Medal with campaign star

Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star

Iraq Campaign Medal with three campaign stars

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Armed Forces Service Medal

Army Service Ribbon

Army Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze award numeral 4

NATO Medal for Service with ISAF

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Commands

He commanded 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division during the Iraq War and the Battle of Ramadi in 2006.[13] He is the former Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. MacFarland was previously the Commanding General of Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division,[14][3] and the Commanding General of III Corps at Fort Hood.

References

1. Sean Barry MacFarland
2. "Major General Sean B. MacFarland (USA)". Archived from the original on 31 December 2012.
3. "1st AD changes command Post bids farewell to MacFarland, welcomes Twitty – Fort Bliss Bugle". Retrieved 7 September 2014.
4. "MacFarland leads the coalition against ISIS". Nationaljournal.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
5. "CJTF-OIR changes command". www.centcom.mil. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
6. "Dept of Army announces deployment of XVIII Airborne Corps". army.mil. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
7. LTG Terry, Pentagon Briefing On Operation Inherent Resolve
   • LTG MacFarland Press Briefing
8. Departing U.S. commander sees turning point in Islamic State fight
9. New Operation Inherent Resolve commander continues fight against ISIL
10. "Lieutenant General Sean B. MacFarland" (PDF). U.S. Army. 20 April 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
11. Amy L. Robinson, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (17 May 2015) TRADOC welcomes MacFarland as new deputy commanding general
12. David Burge El Paso Times (27 February 2018), Lt. Gen. Sean B. MacFarland, former Fort Bliss commander, retiring after three decades
13. Michaels, Jim (1 May 2007). "An Army colonel's gamble pays off in Iraq". USA Today. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
14. "Leadership ISAF Headquarters". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012.