Lieutenant General Erik Peterson

Deputy Chief of Staff for Programs United States Army

Lieutenant General Peterson received his Army commission in 1986 as a Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Idaho’s Chrisman Battalion, Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He was assigned to the Aviation Branch and completed flight school in 1987.

LTG Peterson’s key command and leadership assignments include: four tours with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Director, Flight Concepts Division, Fort Eustis, VA; Brigade Commander, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade and the Chief of Staff, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, NY; Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Cadet Command, Fort Knox, KY; Commanding General of U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC; Director of Army Aviation on the Army staff at the Pentagon; Division West of First U.S. Army Commander, consisting of five brigades and two mobilization sites arrayed across the country; and the Director, Force Development, in G-8, where he served as the principal advisor to the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8; the Vice Chief of Staff, Army; and the Chief of Staff, Army on all Army-wide equipping programs and resources.

LTG Peterson’s education include: Bachelor of Science Degrees in Geography and Cartography from the University of Idaho’s College of Mines and Earth Resources; and Master’s Degrees in Business Administration and National Security Strategy. Other professional military education includes the Aviation Officer Advanced Course, Combined Arms Service Staff School, Command and General Staff College, and the National War College. His military awards and decorations include: Distinguished Service Medal (3 OCL), Legions of Merit (3 OCL), Bronze Star Medal (5 OLC), Meritorious Service Medal (4 OCL), the Air Medal with valor device and numeral 5, the NATO Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Master Aviator Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

His foreign military awards include: the Kuwait Liberation Medal - Government of Kuwait, Kuwait Liberation Medal - Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea Order of National Security Merit – Cheonsu Medal, Australian Parachutist Badge, honorary Republic of Korea Master Aviator Badge, and honorary Swedish Parachutist Badge. The U.S Committee of the Blue Shield’s first recipient of the Award for Meritorious Military Service in Protection of Cultural Property (2014); inducted into the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Hall of Fame (2016); and received an honorary Ph.D. from University of Idaho (2018). Lieutenant General Erik Peterson became the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, on 2 June 2021.