Lt. Col. Andrew (Drew) P. Betson is an Army Brat who received his commission as an Armor Officer after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2004.
After attending Armor Basic Officers’ Leader Course in Ft. Knox, Lt. Col. Betson reported to the 3rd Infantry Division in Ft. Stewart, GA for his first assignment. There he served as Platoon Leader in the 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery Regiment and deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in January 2005. He returned to Baghdad in 2007 as the planner for the 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment and there took command of A Company (Apaches) in 2008. He also commanded Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment in 2009.
After his broadening assignment at West Point, he was assigned to staff positions in the 1st Cavalry Division, 3d Cavalry Regiment, and III Armored Corps at Ft. Hood, TX. With these units he deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and to Mosul, Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Prior to departing Ft. Hood, he served in the III Armored Corps Commanding General’s Initiatives Group as transition planner and Aide de Camp.
Prior to Squadron Command, Lt. Col. Betson served as the 36th Professor and Chair of the Military Science Department for the Gateway ROTC Battalion at Washington University in St. Louis, and then as Deputy Chief of Staff for the 1st Armored Division in Ft. Bliss, TX. He assumed command of the Army’s most battle-honored unit, the 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment in May 2023, and led the Blackhawks in Poland supporting Operation European Assure, Deter, and Reinforce.
Lt. Col. Betson holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Military History from the United States Military Academy, a Master of Arts Degree in Diplomacy and International Commerce from the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School, and a Master of Military Art and Science from the Art of War Scholars Program in the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
While assigned to the Department of Military Instruction at West Point, Lt. Col. Betson earned the academic rank of Assistant Professor in Defense and Strategic Studies. He is published in multiple military journals, and he has earned numerous decorations, to include the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge, and the Sapper Tab. He is a proud member of the Orders of St. George (Bronze), St. Maurice (Cohort) and St. Barbara.