Ben Hodges

Frederick Benjamin "Ben" Hodges III (born 16 April 1958) is a retired United States Army officer who served as commanding general, United States Army Europe.

He has been Senior Advisor to Human Rights First since June 2022 and also serves as NATO Senior Mentor for Logistics.

He previously held the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Hodges was born on 16 April 1958 in Jacksonville, Florida, the son of army veteran and life insurance agent Frederick Benjamin Hodges Jr. and Nell Davis Hodges.

He graduated from James A. Shanks High School in Quincy, Florida, in 1976.

A 1980 United States Military Academy graduate, Hodges became an infantry officer, serving as a platoon leader and company executive officer in the 2nd Armored Division (Forward) in Germany.

Hodges entered the United States Military Academy, graduating in May 1980 with a commission in the Infantry.

In February 1981, Hodges became a platoon leader in A Company of the 3d Battalion, 41st Infantry (Mechanized), 2nd Armored Division, stationed in Germany.

On 28 November, he was promoted to first lieutenant.

After completing the Infantry Officer Advanced Course in 1984, he served with the 101st Airborne Division.

Hodges later became an executive officer in the company, serving there until March 1984.

He was promoted to captain on 1 February.

He took the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at the United States Army Infantry School, completing it in September.

In December 1984, Hodges became assistant S4 of the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade.

He later became brigade assistant S-3.

In May 1986, he took command of C Company of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry of the division.

He later became S-3 of the battalion.

Between July 1988 and March 1989 Hodges served as assistant S-3 of the division's 1st Brigade.

In March, he became a small group instructor at the United States Army Infantry School.

He was later Chief of the Tactics Team there.

In March 1989 Hodges became an instructor at the United States Army Infantry School.

In August 1991, he became a student at the Command and General Staff College, being promoted to major on 1 September.

Hodges later graduated from the School of Advanced Military Studies.

He studied at the Command and General Staff College and graduated from the School of Advanced Military Studies in 1993, becoming G-3 (Chief of Plans) of the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea.

In June 1993, he became chief of the Plans Division and G-3 of the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea.

In July 1994, Hodges became executive officer of the 327th Infantry's 3d Battalion.

Hodges served as a battalion executive officer with the 101st Airborne before becoming Aide-de-camp to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe in August 1995.

He became Aide-de-camp to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe in August 1995, serving there until June 1997.

On 1 July 1996 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

He became a battalion commander in the 101st Airborne in 1997.

In June 1997, Hodges took command of the 3d Battalion of the 187th Infantry with the 101st Airborne.

He was Congressional Liaison Officer at the Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison between 1999 and 2000.

He was Congressional Liaison Officer at the Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison between July 1999 and July 2000.

After graduating from the National War College in 2001, Hodges served at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk.

Taking command of the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne in 2002, Hodges led the brigade in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In 2004, Hodges became G-3 of the XVIII Airborne Corps and later simultaneously served as CJ3 of Multi-National Corps – Iraq.

He became chief of staff of the XVIII Airborne Corps and was deputy chief of Legislative Liaison at the Office of the Secretary of the Army from 2007.

In August 2009, Hodges became director of operations of Regional Command South in Afghanistan.

In December 2010 he became director of the Pakistan Afghanistan Coordination Cell at the Joint Staff and in November 2012 took command of Allied Land Command.

Hodges became commander of United States Army Europe in November 2014, holding that position for three years until retiring from the United States Army in January 2018.