Colonel Ronald A. Newton was commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School Class #4-78, 7 December 1978. His first duty assignment was as a Nike-Hercules Platoon Leader, 2-52 Air Defense Artillery Batter, Fort Bliss, Texas. | His subsequent duty assignments include: Fire Control/Executive Officer, 2-52 Air Defense Artillery Batter, Fort Bliss, Texas. Tactical Control Officer, 2-71 Air Defense Artillery, DMZ, Korea. Towed Battery Commander, Assistant Operations Officer, and Battalion Intelligence Officer, 3-4 Air Defense Artillery, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Commander, Operational Detachment Alpha 576, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Company Commander/Logistics Officer, 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Company Commander/Operations Officer, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Iraq. Operations Officer, Joint Operations Center, Special Operations Command Europe, Sierra Leon/Liberia. Special Operations Forces Planner/Operations Officer, Air Expeditionary Force, Sierra Leon/Liberia. Deputy Commander, Europe Command Assessment Team, BrArizonazaville, Congo. Operations/Plans Officer, Special Operations Command Europe, Stuttgart, Germany. Post Commander, U.S. Army Transportation Command, Fort Story, Virginia. Director of Operations J-3, Special Operations Command Europe, Stuttgart, Germany. Assistant Commandant/Deputy Commander, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Director of Operations J-3, Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of Africa, Djibouti, Africa. | Colonel Newton is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, Army War College, Armed Forces Staff College, Special Forces Qualification Course, Defense Language Institute, Military Intelligence, Air Defense Artillery, Electronic Warfare, Airborne School, and Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape School. | His military awards and decorations include: the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal (2 Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (3 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (4 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal (2 awards), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, South West Asia Service (Bronze Service Star), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (2 awards), NATO Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist, German Armed Forces Parachute Badge, Jordanian Parachutist Badge, Israeli Defense Force Parachutist Badge, Joint Meritorious Unit Award (2 awards), and the Army Superior Unit Award. | Colonel Newton retired from active duty and served as a Senior Military Analyst for Special Operations Command—Joint Capabilities for Northrop Grumman in Suffolk, Virginia.