Curtis Michael Scaparrotti began his career in the U.S. Army after receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry upon his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy with the Class of 1978. His initial duty assignments were as a rifle and anti-tank platoon leader, operations officer and company commander in 3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC.

In 1984, Scaparrotti completed the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, GA, followed by studies in Administrative Education at the University of South Carolina, where he earned his Master of Education degree. He returned to the USMA in 1985 where he was assigned as a tactical officer and the Superintendent’s Aide-de-Camp until 1988. Following that assignment he continued his military studies at the U. S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS.

After his graduation from CGSC in July 1989, Scaparrotti served with the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, NY, where he was the Operations Officer for 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment and then moved to Division Headquarters as Chief of the Operations Branch. He worked at the Army Total Personnel Command and the Army Chief of Staff's office in Washington, DC, from 1992 to 1994.

Scaparrotti assumed command of 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Combat Team, Southern European Task Force in Vicenza, Italy, in May 1994. During that time, he commanded the Battalion during Operations Support Hope in Zaire/Rwanda, Joint Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Assured Response in Liberia. He returned to Fort Drum in 1996 as the 10th Mountain Division’s Operations Officer and following that assignment he continued his studies at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA.

He served as the Chief of Army Initiatives Group in the Deputy Chief of Staff’s Office for Plans and Operations in Washington, DC, in 1998. Scaparrotti returned to Fort Bragg in 1999 to command the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division before moving on to serve as the Assistant Deputy Director for Joint Operations on the Joint Staff, Washington, DC, from 2001 to 2003.

Scaparrotti served as Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver) for the 1st Armored Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom from July 2003 to July 2004, and as the 69th Commandant of Cadets at the USMA, from August 2004 to July 2006.

After leaving West Point, he was assigned as the Director of Operations (J3) for U.S. Central Command, providing oversight to all military operations throughout the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and also including operations in Somalia, at a critical phase in those missions.

Major General Scaparrotti assumed command of the 82nd Airborne Division on 1 October 2008 and deployed the headquarters to Eastern Afghanistan where he served as the Commanding General Combined Joint Task Force 82 and Regional Command East.

On 15 October 2010, LTG Scaparrotti assumed command of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) at Fort Lewis, WA. While serving as I Corps Commander, Scaparrotti served concurrently as Commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan from 11 July 2011 until 12 June 2012. On 3 July 2012, Scaparrotti was succeeded as I Corps Commander by Lieutenant General Robert B. Brown and took over as Director of the Joint Staff.

On 2 October 2013, Scaparrotti was promoted to the four-star rank of General and replaced General James Thurman as Commander of United Nations Command, R.O.K. - U.S. Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea.

It was announced in March 2016 that GEN Scaparrotti would succeed General Philip M. Breedlove and be the next Supreme Allied Commander Europe and head of the United States European Command, later in the year.

Medals, Awards, Badges & Tabs

Defense Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Legion of Merit with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Bronze Star Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Commendation Medal with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Army Achievement Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with Bronze Star
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with Award Numeral 4
NATO Medal (Yugoslavia) with 2 Bronze Stars
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Valorous Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
Superior Unit Award
Combat Action Badge
Expert Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge
Ranger Tab
Army Staff Identification Badge
Joint Staff Identification Badge