Brigadier General Francisco A. Espaillat is a native of New York City. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps in 1982 through the early commissioning program at Georgia Military College. He has a Master’s Degrees in Procurement and Acquisition Management from Webster University and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He earned a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from Excelsior College and has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia Military College. He is a graduate of the Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, the Combined Logistics Officer Advanced Course, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, the Army Force Management Course, the Materiel Acquisition Management Course, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Advanced Program Manager Course, the Executive Program Manager Course, and the U. S. Army War College (2007). He is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III certified in Program Management.
BG Espaillat has served in a wide range of logistics, personnel, and acquisition assignments from platoon leader to company command to Battalion and Brigade Acquisition Corps Centralized Selection List (CSL) commands. He was Product Manager for Petroleum and Water Systems 2003-2006 at the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, MI; he also served as the Deputy Project Manager Force Projection 2007-2008 at the Program Executive Officer, Combat Support and Combat Service Support, Warren, MI. His Brigade command CSL position was as the Project Manager, Combined Arms Tactical Trainers (PM CATT) 2008-2012, PEO Simulation Training and Instrumentation, Orlando, FL. As PM CATT he was responsible for the life cycle management of 72 virtual training systems in support of the Army, sister services, coalition and allied partner nations. As PM CATT he supervised, led and managed six product lines with three CSL Board Select Product Managers (LTCs) and three Assistant Project Managers with a total of over 2,000 personnel government, contractors and industry partners working across the product lines, executed over 2.5 billion dollars in contract actions and while fielding and supporting hundreds of training systems across the Army and sister services.
On 15 Feb 14 he assumed command of the 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) (ESC) , where he is responsible for providing leadership, command and control to more than 9,000 Army Reserve Soldiers throughout the southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. It is comprised of more than 90 Army Reserve units whose missions are diverse and logistical in nature.
His most recent assignment was as the Executive Director, Operations, for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) from 1 Aug 2012 to Feb 2014, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. As the DLA-J31 he was responsible for coordinating and synchronizing the day to day current operations mission of DLA’s worldwide logistics, acquisition and technical support services in support of Combatant Commands (COCOM), Military Services, federal, state, and civil agencies, and foreign governments. DLA executes an annual budget of $42 billion with a workforce of more than 28,000 geographically dispersed personnel to more than 500 locations in the continental United States and abroad.
While assigned to DLA he deployed to Southwest Asia and served as the Director of the USCENTCOM Deployment and Distribution Operations Center (CDDOC), Camp Arifjan, Kuwait from July 2013 to Feb 2014. The CDDOC synchronizes transportation, distribution, and sustainment for the 20 countries of the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR). CDDOC projects and maintains national power where needed with the greatest speed and agility, the highest efficiency and with the most reliable level of trust and accuracy. CDDOC links the strategic deployment and distribution processes to operational and tactical functions in support of the CENTCOM warfighters. His awards, decorations and honors include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Commendation medal, the Army Commendation Medal 9th award, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. During BG Espaillat’s 17 years of working in the Army Acquisition Corps he has had a lasting impact on all U.S. Soldiers and on multiple Army branches providing life cycle management to numerous weapon systems and all virtual simulation training systems. He is the recipient of the following honors from branches across the Army:
- The Honorable Order of Saint Barbara from the Field Artillery regiment
- The Honorable Order of Saint George from the Chief of Armor
- The Honorable Order of Saint Maurice from the Chief of Infantry
- The Knight of the Honorable Order of Saint Michael from the Chief of Army Aviation
- The Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal from the Chief of Engineers
- He is an honorary member of the Army Medical Department from the Surgeon General of the Army
BG Espaillat is also recipient of the Distinguished Order of Saint Martin, the patron saint of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps.