Brigadier General Noel F. Palmer assumed the role as the Commanding General for the 102d Training Division (Maneuver Support) and Deputy to the Commanding General for Mobilization and Training for the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence (MSCoE, Fort Leonard Wood, MO) on 12 July 2024. Prior to this assignment, Brigadier General Palmer served as the Deputy Commanding General – Support, 412th Theater Engineer Command (TEC), Vicksburg, Mississippi.
BG Palmer was commissioned into active duty in 1995 as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after graduating from the United States Military Academy. In 2002, he transitioned to the Army Reserve and has been a member of the U.S. Army for over 29 years.
BG Palmer served on active duty, first with the 70th Engineer Battalion (Mechanized) at Ft. Riley Kansas–as an Assistant S4, Platoon Leader, and Company Executive Officer and later with the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Ft. Lewis, Washington–as the Assistant Brigade Engineer. While in the Army Reserve, he has served with the 244th Engineer Battalion in Denver, Colorado–as Plans Officer and Company Commander, the 916th FEST-A in Omaha, Nebraska–as Mechanical Engineer, the 600th Engineer Facilities Detachment in Des Moines, Iowa–as Team Leader, the 12-104th Engineer Battalion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota–as Battalion Commander, and the 372d Engineer Brigade in Minneapolis, Minnesota–as Brigade S7, Brigade Executive Officer, and Brigade Commander–serving as Brigade Commander from April 2019 through September 2022.
BG Palmer has deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1997–as a Design Engineer, to Iraq in 2003–as Battalion Plans Officer and Company Commander, to Afghanistan in 2010–as an Engineer Planner, and to Kuwait in 2021–as Brigade Commander. BG Palmer’s awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal.
BG Palmer’s military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic Course, the Aviation Officer Advance Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Intermediate Level Education, the Advanced Operations Course, the Reserve Component National Security Course, and the US Army War College. His civilian education includes a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy, a Master’s in Business from the University of Nebraska, a Master’s in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, and a PhD in Management from the University of Nebraska.
BG Palmer is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Nebraska–Kearney. He resides in Kearney, Nebraska with his wife, Leane, and has three children, Evan, Emily, and Luke.