Lieutenant General (Ret) Dan Karbler

For nearly 37 years, Dan served our nation in a variety of positions in the United States and around the world. An expert in Air and Missile Defense and Space Operations, he has extensive experience in effectively leading large and complex military commands, conducting operations, requirements and capability development, test and evaluation, and budget formulation. Prior to retiring from the Army as a Lieutenant General, he led the U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), a globally dispersed organization across 23 locations and 11 time zones responsible for providing homeland and regional air and missile defense and space operations. As the SMDC commander, Dan was also the Senior Commander for Fort Greely, Alaska and Kwajalein Atoll (“Kwaj”) in the Marshall Islands — the Army’s two most remote garrisons. He worked closely with the Army Staff, Combatant Commanders, his Garrison Commanders, and their respective communities to ensure excellence at Fort Greely and Kwaj was a balance between accomplishment of our military missions with Family quality of life – particularly schools, health care, housing, and community relationships. Dan was proud to be a part of SMDC as it was named “The Army’s Best Place to Work” in 2022 and 2023 during his final two years.

Dan has a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College, an Executive master’s degree in business administration from Benedictine College, and a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

He and his wife, Leah, have been married for 32 years. Leah served in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Major after 26 years of both active and reserve service. They have two children and a son-in-law who all graduated West Point and now serve in the Army. Of note, the Karbler children, like many other military children, attended multiple schools, to include three different high schools each and a new high school for each of their senior years.