Lt. Gen. John Murray To Lead U.S. Army Futures Command In Austin

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The U.S. Army has chosen Lt. Gen. John Murray to lead the Army Futures Command to be based in Austin, government officials said this week.

Murray, currently serving as deputy chief of staff at Army Headquarters in Washington, D.C., was appointed to the rank of general and assignment as Commanding General ahead of the appointment.

Citing the existing tech talent and entrepreneurial spirit found in Austin, Army officials last month announced the capital city would serve as the base for the new command, which is focused on military modernization.

U.S. Army officials confirmed the news in a televised news conference preceding one staged at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce downtown offices where Gov. Greg Abbott joined other dignitaries for the formal announcement locally.

"The Army chose Austin as the location of the AFC headquarters because it not only possessed the talent, the entrepreneurial spirit and access to key partners we are seeking, but also because it offers the quality of life our people desire and a cost of living they can afford," Army Secretary Mark T. Esper said at the teleconference.

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As for Murray, he was commissioned as an Infantry officer in the U.S. Army upon graduation from the Ohio State University in 1982, according to a military-provided biography.

Throughout his career, Murray has served in leadership positions and commanded from Company through Division, with various staff assignments at the highest levels of the Army, the bio reads. He has held numerous command positions since, including: Commanding General Joint Task Force-3; Deputy Commanding General – Support for U.S. Forces Afghanistan; Commander Bagram Airfield; Commanding General 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia; Commander, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas while serving in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM; Commander, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany; Commander, C Company, 1-12th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Carson, Colo.

Previously, he was the Director, Force Management, the Pentagon; Assistant Deputy Director for Joint Training, J-7, Joint Staff, Suffolk, Virginia; Director, Joint Center for Operational Analysis, United States Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, Virginia; Deputy Commanding General (Maneuver), 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; Deputy Commanding General (Maneuver), Multi-National Division-Baghdad OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq; G-3 (Operations), III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas; Chief of Staff, III Corps and Fort Hood, Fort Hood, Texas; C-3, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq; G-3 (Operations), 1st Infantry Division, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany; Chief, Space Control Protection Section, J-33, United States Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; S-3(Operations), later Executive Officer, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; Chief, Plans, G-1, III Corps and Fort Hood, Fort Hood, Texas.

Murray’s awards and decorations include: the Distinguished Service Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense Superior Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Joint Service
Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Murray hails from Kenton, Ohio. He and his wife, Jane, have three daughters and seven grandchildren, according to his biography.

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>>> Photo of John Murray courtesy of U.S. Futures Command