Garrison Commander

Col. Kevin Poole assumed command of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria in July 2022.

He graduated from the Military College of South Carolina (The Citadel) earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a commission as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1998.

Col. Poole’s first assignment was with 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. There he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader and as an Anti-Armor Platoon Leader.

Upon completion of the Infantry Captain’s Career Course, Col. Poole served as an Assistant Operations Officer and Rifle Company Commander with 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment at Hohenfels, Germany. In 2006, he deployed as the commander of Cherokee Company 1-4 IN to the Zabul Province of Afghanistan. Following Company Command, Col. Poole served as an Infantry Company Observer Controller (Timberwolves). He then served as the S-1 for the Operations Group, Joint Multinational Readiness Center.

After departing Hohenfels, Germany, Col. Poole attended the Command and General Staff College followed by the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Following graduation from SAMS, he served as a Senior Campaign Planner with International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan. Following this deployment, Col. Poole moved to Naples Italy where he served as the Executive Officer for Allied Forces South Battalion.

Col. Poole departed Naples, Italy and was assigned to Fort Benning Georgia where he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff (G-1) for the Maneuver Center of Excellence followed by command of the 30th Adjutant General Reception Battalion.

Following Senior Service College at the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Col. Poole most recently served as the Director of Manpower and Personnel (J-1) for United States European Command.

Col. Poole holds master’s degrees in International Relations (Webster University); Military Arts and Science (SAMS); and National Resource Strategy (National Defense University).

His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, German Army Parachutist Badge, Basic Parachutist Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge

Col. Poole is married to Patricia von Rekowski from Berlin, Germany.