Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Hawkins was born on August 9, 1981 in Shreveport, LA. He initially entered the U.S. Army through One Station Unit Training-19K, at Fort Knox, KY on January 3, 2002. He served as an M1 Armor Crewman for five years with 3d Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA where he deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon commissioning, Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins was assigned to 225th Brigade Support Battalion, Schofield Barracks, HI where he served as Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Plans Officer, Deputy Support Operations Officer, and 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Logistics Support Team Officer-in-Charge; 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade, Fort Drum, NY where he served as the Headquarters and Special Troops Battalion Operations Officer and 543rd Composite Supply Company Commander; Combined Arms Center-Force Design Directorate Fort Leavenworth, KS where he served on the Total Army Analysis Team; 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Grafenwoehr, DE where he served as the Support Operations Officer and Executive Officer; and US Forces Japan and Fifth Air Force, Yokota Air Base, JP where he served as Director, Commander’s Action Group. Lieutenant Colonel Hawkins holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (2010) and a Master’s in Operational Studies from the Command and General Staff College (2021).