Brigadier General Dean Thompson enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1985, obtaining the rank of sergeant before receiving a commission as a second lieutenant in 1990. He received a bachelor of science degree from Missouri State University that same year and was designated as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He later received a master of public administration degree from MSU and a master of strategic studies degree from the United States Army War College.
BG Thompson’s past assignments include: Chief of Staff for the 350th Civil Affairs Command, Pensacola, Florida; Brigade Commander, 321st Civil Affairs Brigade, San Antonio, Texas; Battalion Commander, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, Grand Prairie, Texas; Special Operations Forces Operations Officer, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Norfolk, Virginia; and other key command and staff positions with the 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, Belton, Missouri, and 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
Other notable assignments include: Operations Planner for United States Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany during Operation Odyssey Dawn; Multinational Brigade G5 Civil‐Military Cooperation for NATO Exercise Cooperative Longbow, Republic of Armenia; Civil Affairs Team Leader, Republic of Chad; and Civil Military Operations Center Commander in Jalalabad, Afghanistan for the Coalition Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force.
BG Thompson is a graduate of the Army War College; Army Command and General Staff College; Army Combined Arms and Services Staff School; Civil Affairs Qualification Course; Psychological Operations Officer Qualification Course; Infantry Officer Advance Course; and Infantry Officer Basic Course.
In his civilian occupation, BG Thompson serves as the Vice President-Chief Economic Development Officer for City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri.