Brigadier General Dustin Anne Shultz, ‘Dusty,' is the senior federal Army officer in the Caribbean. She received her commission in Military Intelligence Corps from New Mexico Military Institute in 1989. The first assignment she served was as a Spanish Counter Intelligence Officer for the 142nd MI Battalion in Provo, Utah. Her following assignments included duty as: Platoon Leader, 980th Engineer Battalion; Administrative Officer, 413th Civil Affairs Battalion; Battery Executive Officer, 2nd Battalion 89th Regt; Training Officer, 4166th USAR School; Intelligence Officer, 363rd Corps Support Group; and IPW Team Leader 900th MI Company. In 1996, she transferred to Active Guard Reserve (AGR) status and was sent to El Paso, Texas, where she served as the 5035th Garrison Support Unit Training Officer until 1998.
She then went on to receive the General Douglas MacArthur leadership award during her next assignment as the Brigade Adjutant. Her follow on assignment included serving as the as 647th Area Support Group Information Management Officer. In 2000, she transferred status and returned to duty as a Troop Program Unit member. She was selected and served as the Headquarters Company Commander of the 647th Area Support Group. Her following assignment as an Intelligence Analyst for JTF-N on extended orders from 2001 to 2003, supported counter drug operations with the U.S. Marshals Service Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Forest Service. She returned to the AGR Program in 2003 at the University of Utah as an Assistant Professor of Military Science. She then used her Spanish language skills at resident Command and General Staff College at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. In 2007, she became the Executive Officer (XO) of the 373rd MI Battalion under the 201st MI Brigade. After a year of duty as the XO, she transferred to U.S. Southern Command in Miami, Florida, and served as a Joint Planner in the J9, supporting the Operation Unified Response, Haiti relief efforts.
In August of 2010, she assumed command of the 373rd MI Battalion and lead the battalion’s successful deployment and redeployment supporting both OND and OEF. During her command tenure, the unit was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Reserve Officer’s Association Large Unit of the Year Award, and a distribution of the Mastellar Trust Fund for its exceptional efforts. She assumed duties as the Military Intelligence Readiness Command G-3/5/7 in June 2013. In 2015 she assumed command and activated the 505th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater). She was promoted to Brigadier General in September 2017 and assumed command of the 1st Mission Support Command, the largest federal Army command in the Caribbean, shortly before the emergency created by hurricanes Irma and Maria in the region.
BG Shultz is a graduate of the National War College, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (in Spanish), the Defense Strategy Course, and the Canadian Joint Command and Staff Program. In March 2019, she graduated from the General and Flag Officer Course, CAPSTONE from the National Defense University.
Her awards include the Legion of Merit (OLC), the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal (with two Oak Leaf Cluster), the Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), the Joint Service Achievement Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), and the Army Achievement Medal. BG Shultz holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from Texas Tech University, a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from American Military University, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College. She is also a certified bilingual teacher.