Brigadier General Matthew J. Hardman
Commanding General, JRTC and Fort Polk
Brigadier General (BG) Matthew J. Hardman is a native of Pensacola, Florida and commissioned as an Infantry Officer from Davidson College in 1997. Since then, he has served in a variety of maneuver assignments, including Airborne, Light, Stryker, and Mechanized and Armor formations.
BG Hardman commanded at all echelons to include a Rifle Company in 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 82nd Airborne Division; 3rd Battalion, 509th PIR “GERONIMO” at Joint-Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska; 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Polk, Louisiana; and Commander of Operations Group (COG) of the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Most recently, BG Hardman served as the Deputy Commanding General - Maneuver and Support of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, Kansas.
Key assignments served include Brigade Executive Officer for 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division; Light Task Force Trainer and Senior Brigade Combat Team Trainer at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California; National Security Fellow at Harvard University; and Chief of Staff for the Office of Security-Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
During his career, BG Hardman has served six combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. BG Hardman’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star Medal (with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), Combat and Expert Infantryman Badges, Ranger Tab, and Senior Parachutist Badge.
BG Hardman is married to Sandra Hardman and together they have two children.