Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kerstin Austen serves as the Command Chief Warrant Officer for the Army Reserve Medical Command, Pinellas Park, Florida. Her previous assignments include Senior Warrant Officer Advisor and Counterintelligence (CI) technical expert within the 3300 Strategic Intelligence Group (SIG) under the Military Intelligence Reserve Command (MIRC), Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Operations Support Command, Ft. Bragg, as the Senior Warrant Officer for the HUMINT Support Team (HST), Special Operations Command Korea, SOJ2, Senior CI/HUMINT Warrant Officer, CI Operations Officer for 323rd MI BN, Ft. Meade, MD, Special Agent in Charge, Joint Task Force Gitmo, Cuba, Deputy G2 U.S. Army Alaska, Ft. Richardson, and San Diego Detachment Commander for C Co., 368th MI BN in San Diego, CA.
CW5. Austen has been deployed or activated numerous times to support exercises and contingency operations for US Army Pacific Command and US Army Central Command for such operations that include Inherent Resolve, Operational Enduring Freedom, Desert Storm, Ulchi Focus Guardian, and Keen Edge.
CW5 Austen has served 34 years in the Reserves and holds a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, in Economics and Business. She is a graduate of the Warrant Senior Staff Leadership Education MI Follow on Course, Warrant Officer Senior Staff Leadership Education Course, Warrant Officer Intermediate Level Education, Warrant Officer Advance and Basic Course, Warrant Officer Candidate Course. Amongst Ms. Austen’s military awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal 2nd award. Joint Service Achievement Medal C device, Army Commendation Medal C device, Army Commendation Medal 3rd award, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal 7th award, National Defense Service Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon 2nd award, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M device, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal 2nd award, Korean Defense Service Medal, Operation Enduring Freedom Medal, and Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal.
Ms. Austen in her civilian career is employed at the Defense Intelligence Agency since 2006, and currently serving as a Senior CI Agent and Branch Chief within the Office of Counterintelligence, supporting the Directorate of Operations, Defense Attaché Service in Washington, DC. She is from Alexandria, VA, and married to Sgt. Maj. (ret) Shane A. Austen.