Major General Tom R. Drew enlisted in the Army in 1982. He graduated from flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama, September 13, 1983. During his initial tours, Major General Drew served as both an AH-1 Cobra and AH-64 Apache instructor pilot.
Major General Drew completed the Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia and was commissioned as an aviation officer in 1989.
As a commissioned officer, Major General Drew has held numerous leadership and staff positions including platoon leader, assistant operations officer and assistant intelligence officer of the 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Personnel Officer, 1st Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, Camp Mobile, Korea; Commander, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Aviation Regiment, Savannah, Georgia; Personnel Officer, TF-160; Platoon Leader and Company Commander, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion,160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (A); Operations Executive Officer, Special Mission Unit Liaison Officer, 1st Battalion, 160th SOAR(A); and the Regiment Operations Officer, 160th SOAR(A); Battalion Commander, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR(A); Director of Flight Concepts, Fort Eustis, Virginia; Brigade Commander, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade; Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, Fort Rucker, Alabama; Deputy Commanding General (Support), 2nd Infantry Division; Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Special Operations Command Deputy Commanding General; Military Deputy Director, Army Talent Management Task Force; and Director, Army Talent Management Task Force.
Major General Drew’s combat tours include Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraq Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
Major General Drew’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star (5 Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Air Medal (“V” device and numeral device “7”), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Master Aviator Badge, the Combat Action Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Military Free Fall Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
Major General Drew’s education includes a bachelor’s degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Professional Aeronautics, a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island; and a U.S. Army War College Fellowship, National Security Fellow Duke University.