A native of Illinois, Colonel James L. Krueger graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1999 and commissioned as an Engineer Officer. He began active-duty service at Fort Lewis, Washington, during the transformation of the first two Stryker Brigades in the U.S. Army. His first deployment to Iraq was in 2003 with the 555th Combat Engineer Group near Tikrit, Iraq, supporting the 4th Infantry Division.
Assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, under the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, he commanded the Engineer Company during his second deployment to Iraq in 2005. Following graduate studies, he was assigned to the United States Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Bliss, Texas, as a Deputy Area Engineer while the Fort Worth District managed construction for 1st Armored Division’s new footprint. He deployed to Iraq in 2010 to consolidate management and complete projects across Baghdad under the Gulf Region District.
COL Krueger served as a field grade officer in the 326th Engineer Battalion before deploying to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2014 as the Executive Officer for 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division during the transition to train, advise, and assist Command-South, which partnered with the 205th Corps, Afghan National Army.
As a Joint Operations Action Officer with United States European Command J-3 in Stuttgart, Germany, from 2015 to 2017, he supported numerous joint exercises and force posturing actions. He commanded the 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB) and deployed enablers for multiple Pacific Pathways events in support of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, before returning to Germany in 2019 as the BEB Senior Trainer at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels.
COL Krueger’s military education includes the Army War College, Command and General Staff College, the Joint Firepower Course, and the Engineer Officers’ Basic and Advanced Courses. He holds a bachelor’s degree from USMA, a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, the Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Combat Action Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, German Proficiency Badge (Gold), Ranger Tab, the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara, and he is a recipient of the Bronze De Fleury Medal.