Colonel Luke A. Wittmer
Garrison Commander Fort Bragg, NC
Colonel Luke A. Wittmer took command of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Bragg - home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces - on July 24, 2026. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry, U.S. Army in June 2002. He completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia before being assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Col. Wittmer was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment from April 2003 to July 2006. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader. Other positions included Battalion Scout Platoon Leader, Headquarters and Headquarters Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Rear-Detachment Commander.
From July 2006 to March 2008, Col. Wittmer attended the Infantry Maneuver Captain’s Career Course at Fort Benning, followed by the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was then assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell. During his first tour of duty with 5th SFG(A) from April 2008 to December 2011, he served as the Detachment Commander for Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha for two deployments to OIF. Col. Wittmer also served as the Battalion Headquarters Support Company Commander for 2nd Bn, 5th SFG(A).
After attending the Naval Postgraduate School, he returned to 2nd Bn, 5th SFG(A), where he served as the Battalion Executive Officer/SOTF-West Director during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Col. Wittmer also commanded C Co, 2nd Bn, 5th SFG(A) and AOB-North for Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq in 2014.
From July 2015 to June 2018, Col. Wittmer served as the Operations Officer for the Combined Arms Center Special Operations Directorate at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he provided operational oversight for Special Operations Elements co-located with the Army’s Centers of Excellence as a part of the Army’s Force Management Process.
Col. Wittmer served as the Chief of Plans for Operations Group Juliet of the Mission Command Training Program, Combined Arms Center-Training from June 2019 to June 2020. Afterwards, Col. Wittmer served as the Garrison Commander at Yakima Training Center in Yakima, Washington from June 2020 to June 2022.
From July 2022 to May 2024, Col. Wittmer served as the Director for Operations (J3) for the Special Operations Command Central at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. Most recently, Col. Wittmer served as the Deputy Commanding Officer for SOCCENT.
Col. Wittmer is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, class of 2002. He holds three master’s degrees. He was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California from December 2011 to June 2013, graduating with a Master of Science in Defense Analysis. Col. Wittmer attended the School of Advanced Military Studies from June 2018 to May 2019 where he graduated with a Master of Arts in Military Operations. Most recently, before taking command at the Fort Bragg Garrison, he earned a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College.