Garrison Commander

Col. Stephen C. Flanagan assumed command of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria in August 2024.

Col. Stephen “Steve” Flanagan is from Massachusetts and earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical 
Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. In  2001, he received his 
commission as an infantry officer through ROTC, where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate. 
Following completion of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Ranger School, and the Infantry Mortar Leader Course, he served as an Airborne Rifle Platoon Leader in the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, from 2002 to 2003. Flanagan was then selected to serve as a Ranger Platoon Leader in the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, where he conducted combat tours in Iraq (2003-04) and Afghanistan (2004).

Upon graduation from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2007, Flanagan served as Detachment Commander of Special Forces Operational Detachment - Alpha 0324 (Military Free Fall), which he led through two combat tours in Iraq (2007, 2008-09), and deployments to Israel (2009) and Mali (2010). From 2010 to 2014, he earned master’s degrees in psychology and public administration from Harvard University and then taught in the Behavioral Science and Leadership Department at West Point. From 2014 to 2015, he commanded C Company, 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, and led the company on a six-month deployment to West Africa as Advanced Operations Base - Niger commander. From 2015 to 2016, he served as the Operations Officer for 3rd Battalion. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the Chief of the Caribbean and South American Regional Fusion Divisions in the Operations Directorate at Special Operations Command - South. 

From 2019 to 2021, Flanagan commanded Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, U.S. Army Central at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, and Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. From 2021 to 2023, he commanded 2nd Battalion, 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and led the battalion with attached units through two Force Package deployments advising partner forces across the Indo-Pacific. From 2023 to 2024, he completed an Army War College fellowship with the Fletcher School at Tufts University. 

Flanagan’s awards and decorations include: the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, German Army Parachutist Badge, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Senior Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and the Master Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge.