Brigadier General Bruce Edward Hackett is currently serving as the
Commanding General of the 451st Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).
General Hackett’s military service began in 1981 when he enlisted
in the Indiana Air National Guard as a Heavy Equipment Operator.
In 1985, he graduated from the Indiana State University with a
B.S. Degree in Construction Technology and earned his commission as a 2nd
Lieutenant through Army ROTC into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Upon
completion of the Engineer Officer Basic Course at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, he
served on active duty with the 18th Engineer Brigade, 79th Engineer Combat
Battalion (Heavy) in Karlsruhe, Germany with the following key development
assignments: Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and a Battalion
Construction Officer. Upon completion of the Engineer Advance Course, he served
as a Construction Contract Administrator for the Pittsburgh District, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers.
In 1991, he deployed to Desert Storm with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers’ Kuwait Emergency Recovery Office (KERO) to conduct damage assessment
to critical infrastructure in war-torn Kuwait. His active duty service
culminated as the Battalion Construction Officer of the 62nd Engineer Combat
Battalion (Heavy) at Fort Hood, Texas.
Upon entering the Army Reserve in 1992, General Hackett served in
a variety of command and staff positions within the 99th Regional Support
Command in Oakdale, Pennsylvania. He assumed command of the Headquarters and
Support Company, 463rd Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) in Wheeling, West
Virginia, became the Battalion Civil Engineer, and served a combat tour as the
Battalion Commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom III (2004-2005) in Balad,
Iraq.
His staff assignments with the 99th RSC have included: Engineer
Staff Officer, Force Integration Officer, CENTCOM Team Planner for the Corps s
of Engineers Contingency Response Unit in Washington D.C., Emergency Liaison
Preparedness Officer for the State of Pennsylvania (FEMA Region III), and the
command’s Directorate of Public Works.
In 2009, General Hackett became a Logistics Officer and assumed
command of the 165th Quartermaster Group (POL) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Following his Group Command, he was selected as the Deputy Chief of Staff - G3
of the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania and
later deployed as the Deputy Commanding Officer in support of Theater
Sustainment Operations in Kuwait during Operation Enduring Freedom (2012-2013).
General Hackett’s command experience includes: Company Commander
of the Headquarters and Support Company of the 463rd Engineer Combat Battalion
(Heavy) from August 1994 to July 1996, Battalion Commander of the 463rd
Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) from September 2001 to March 2006, Commander
of the 165th Quartermaster Group (POL) from May 2009 to June 2011, Deputy
Commanding Officer of the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command from January
2012 to March 2013, Commanding General of the 78th Training Division
(Operations) from July 2013 to December 2015 and the Commanding General of the
451st Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) since January of 2016.
General Hackett has deployed three times in his career in the
following assignments and locations: Project Engineer for the U.S. Army Corp of
Engineers’ Kuwait Emergency Recovery Office (KERO) at Kuwait City, Kuwait in
1991, Battalion Commander for the 463rd Engineer Combat Battalion at Balad,
Iraq from 2004-2005, and Deputy Commanding Officer for the 316th Expeditionary
Sustainment Command at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait from 2012-2013.
General Hackett’s military education includes the Engineer Officer
Basic Course, Engineer Officer Advance Course, the Combined Arms and Services
Staff School, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the
United States Army War College.
General Hackett received Master’s Degrees in Strategic Studies
from the Army War College and Leadership & Business Ethics from Duquesne
University.
A few of General Hackett’s military decorations and awards include
two Bronze Star Medals, five Meritorious Service Medals, five Army Commendation
Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, the Combat Action Badge, and the Airborne
Parachutist Badge.
General Hackett is a member of the Society of American Military
Engineers and currently serves as the Staff Operations and Training Officer for
the 316th ESC as a full-time civilian.
He is married to the former Gabriella Theresa Frushell and they
both reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They have two children: Kristen and Kraig.