Brigadier General Joseph Katz ’99 assumed command as the 82nd Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy during a change of command ceremony on June 25. The ceremony marked the transition of leadership from the 81st Commandant, BG R.J. Garcia ’96, to Katz.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to return to West Point and serve as Commandant of Cadets. Our mission remains clear: we will develop leaders of character who are prepared to lead with courage, competence, and commitment in an increasingly complex world. We will relentlessly focus on this mission each day as we build our nation’s next generation of warfighters.”
Katz graduated from West Point in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science and also holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Katz, originally from Bettendorf, Iowa, is a career Field Artillery officer who most recently served as the Deputy Commanding General (Support), 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He has earned the Combat Action Badge, the Airborne and Air Assault Badges, and the Ranger Tab. His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster).
Katz has commanded at multiple levels throughout his career, to include 3-320th Field Artillery, 101st Airborne Division, and Division Artillery, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He has served in a variety of operational and staff assignments throughout the Army, the Joint Staff, and the Department of State. He has participated in multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and previously taught Military Tactics in West Point’s Department of Military Instruction.
