Brigadier General Ray Phariss was born in Oklahoma and grew up in West Columbia, Texas. He was commissioned in the Signal Corps upon graduation from the United States Military Academy, West Point in 1994.
Brigadier General Phariss’ assignments include: Signal Officer, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Cavazos, Texas; Duty Officer, Global Communication, Command and Control Center, U.S. Transportation Command at Scott AFB, Illinois; Executive Officer to the Chief Integration Officer, HQDA G6 at the Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia; Systems Analyst and Strategic Planning Analyst, Army Human Resources Command at St. Louis, Missouri; Executive Officer, 319th Signal Battalion at Sacramento, California; Deputy Communications Integrator, Regional Command – East, 335th Signal Command (Theater), (Provisional) Afghanistan; Assistant Chief of Staff, G6, U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) at Fort Liberty, North Carolina; Commander, 98th Expeditionary Signal Battalion at Phoenix, Arizona; Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) at Fort Liberty, North Carolina; Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Reserve Command at Fort Liberty, North Carolina; and Chief Information Officer and Deputy Chief of Staff, G6, U.S. Army Europe and Africa at Wiesbaden, Germany. Brigadier General Phariss’ deployments include Bosnia-Herzegovina and Afghanistan.
His military education includes the Signal Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Intermediate Level Education, Joint C4 Planners Course, and the Army War College. Brigadier General Phariss is Airborne and Ranger qualified, and he has earned numerous foreign jump wings.
His civilian education includes a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from the United States Military Academy, a Masters of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Missouri, Saint Louis and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.
Brigadier General Phariss' awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Clusters), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster), Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab, and Army Staff Identification Badge.