Maj. Joseph Henderson commissioned in 2008 from Reserve Officer Training Corps as a Military Intelligence Officer branch detailed to the Infantry. After training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Fort Moore, Georgia, he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment from 2009 to 2012. Here he served as Rifle Platoon Leader, Reconnaissance Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Assistant Operations Officer. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2012, he attended MIOTC and MICCC at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and was then assigned to 2d Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany. He first served as the Senior Intelligence Officer for 1st Squadron, and then Commander for Delta Troop (Military Intelligence), Regimental Engineer Squadron. He attended Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) 2 in 2016 and returned to Fort Moore, Georgia.
Henderson served as the Regimental Intelligence Planner for the 75th Ranger Regiment and in this role was instrumental in establishing the Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion (RMIB) in 2017. He then served as the Battalion Assistant Operations Officer, deploying twice to Afghanistan to serve as a Joint Task Force (JTF) J2. After attending resident ILE at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 2018-2019, he returned to the RMIB and served as the Battalion Operations Officer.
In 2020 he deployed again to Afghanistan, serving as the Executive Officer to the Resolute Support Mission – Afghanistan (RSMA) Senior Intelligence Officer, before assuming duties as the NATO Special Operations Component Command – Afghanistan (NSOCC-A) J2. In this role he participated in the departure of U.S. Forces from Bagram Airbase in July 2021. Returning to the 75th Ranger Regiment, Henderson served as the Deputy Senior Intelligence Officer including a deployment as a JTF J2 in Qatar in Spring 2022. Since June 2022, Henderson has served as the Brigade Operations Officer for 66th Military Intelligence Brigade – Theater in Wiesbaden, Germany.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a master’s degree in military arts and sciences with a concentration in wargaming from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.