Background

Prior to retirement from the U.S. Army on 1 January 2003, General Bates served as the Commander, 19th Theater Support Command, Eighth U.S. Army, Republic of Korea. In this capacity he was responsible for logistics support and installation management for U.S. Army forces in Korea, as well as for planning wartime logistics to support U.S. Army units deploying to Korea in the event of hostilities. General Bates’ previous experience includes serving as the Commander, 23d Quartermaster Brigade, J-4 Logistics Officer for US Forces Korea and Commander and CEO Army and Air Force Exchange Service, leading its worldwide retail and troop support operations.

Following military retirement General Bates served as Vice President, and later as Executive Vice President and Board Secretary for the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), a non-profit defense industry advocacy organization.

General Bates is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a BS in Business and holds an MS Degree in Logistics Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and has been recognized as a Certified Professional Logistician by the Society of Logistics Engineers. General Bates joined the Army Quartermaster Foundation Board in 2020 and currently serves as Vice President.