Lieutenant Colonel Richard Gibson, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1989 as a 19K Armor Crewman where he served with the 100th Training Division (USAR). After completing three years with the unit, he enlisted in the Active Army as a 19K. During his thirteen years as an Enlisted Soldier, he served in positions from M1 Tank Driver to Platoon Sergeant. Lt. Col. Gibson attended Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where he was commissioned as an Air Defense officer in December of 2004. Upon completion of OCS, Lt. Col. Gibson attended the Air Defense Officer Basic Course at Ft. Bliss, TX. He began his officer career as an Air Defense Platoon Leader with 2-44 ADA at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.
In January 2008, Lt. Col. Gibson attended the Air Defense Captain’s Career Course at Ft. Bliss, TX. Lt. Col. Gibson then moved to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii where he was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division Air Defense Air Management OIC. In 2009, he assumed command of Headquarters Support Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 25th ID. Upon completion of Company Command, Lt. Col. Gibson then moved to Ft. Shafter, Hawaii, where he served with 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command as the Sensor Management Operations Officer in Charge.
In June 2011, Lt. Col. Gibson transferred to Functional Area 40 to become a Space Operations Officer. His first assignment as a Space Operations Officer was in June 2012 with Joint Forces Component Command-Integrated Missile Defense. In November 2014, Lt. Col. Gibson attended Army Intermediate Level Education. Upon completion of ILE, he moved to Colorado Springs in March 2015 where he was the Deputy Brigade Operations Officer with 1st Space Brigade. In July 2016, Lt. Col. Gibson moved to Red Stone Arsenal, Alabama, where he served as the Speech Writer for the CG of Space and Missile Defense Command.
Upon completion of the Speech Writer assignment, Lt. Col. Gibson moved to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, in June 2016 where he attended the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). Upon his completion of SAMS, he moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, in June 2018 where he served as a Strategic Planner in I Corps' Future Operations section and a Space Planner in the G-39. In July of 2020, Lt. Col. Gibson moved to Wiesbaden, Germany, where he served as the 2d Multi-Domain Task Force Deputy Commanding Officer.
Lt. Col. Gibson has completed four deployments, locations including both Kosovo and Iraq. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Austin Peay State University, a Master’s in Leadership Studies from University of Texas at El Paso, a Master’s in Space Systems Operations from Webster University, and a Master’s in Military Operations from the School of Advanced Military Studies. Lt. Col. Gibson's awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Combat Action Badge, Master Space Badge, and the Gold Recruiter Badge.
Richard is married and has one daughter and three grandchildren that keep life exciting.