United States Army COL Chip Sparks assumed the duties as Commander of the 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) on July 15, 2023. COL Sparks was commissioned a second lieutenant, Ordnance, through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1993 where he also earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. COL Sparks holds a Master’s in Business Administration from California Coast University and a Master’s in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. His military education includes the Ordnance Officer Basic Course, the Ordnance Officer Advanced Course, Intermediate Level Education-Common Core, the Army Instructor Basic Course, the Army Staff Action Officer Logistics Course, the Defense Strategy Course, and the Army Senior Service College.
His assignments include: Executive officer, 518th Maintenance Company, 4/43 Air Defense Artillery (Patriot), Maintenance Officer, Support Operations Office, 27th Main Support Battalion, and Division Maintenance Officer, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas; assistant brigade S-3, 61st Ordnance Brigade and Instructor/Writer, U.S. Army Ordnance Center and Schools, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Logistics Staff Officer, J-43, U.S. Forces, Japan, Yokota Air Base, Japan; Operational Energy Branch Chief, Liaison Officer to US Forces, Afghanistan, and Reserve Component Integration Executive Officer with HQDA, G-4 at the Pentagon and Kabul/Bagram, Afghanistan; Commander, 411th Ordnance Battalion (Ammunition), Billings, MT; Deputy Commanding Officer, 1st Operations Brigade, 91st Training Division (Operations), Scottsdale, AZ; Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, 91st Training Division (Operations), Fort Hunter Liggett, CA; Group Commander, 653rd Regional Support Group (Rear), Mesa, AZ; Group Commander, 77th Quartermaster Group (Petroleum), El Paso, TX; and most recently as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Reserve Deployment Support Command, Birmingham, AL
COL Sparks’ awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with five oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star, Southwest Asia Service Medal with one bronze service star, Afghanistan Service Medal with one bronze service star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device and silver hourglass device, Army Service Ribbon, Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, 3rd Award, Army Staff Identification Badge and Parachutist Badge.
COL Sparks resides in Kyle, TX, with his wife Debbie. He is blessed with three children and five stepchildren ranging in age from 20 to 38, and two grandsons, five years and 18 months.