Col. Marc E. Pelini
Director, Air and Missile Defense Cross-Functional Team
Col. Marc Pelini is a native of Pekin, Illinois, and an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate. He was commissioned into the U.S. Army as an Air Defense Officer in 1998 and last served as the Deputy Director of DAMO- Fires, HQDA G-3/5/7; responsible for shaping and synchronizing Air Defense, Field Artillery, and Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems capabilities across the Department of the Army.
Pelini served in multiple command and staff positions throughout the past 26 years to include: Commander of the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, and Air Defense Battery, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Colonel Pelini also served as the Missile Defense Branch Chief for the Joint Staff, J-33, as the first Chief of the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office’s Requirements and Capabilities Division, and as a Strategist and Staff Synchronization Officer on the Army Staff, G-3/5/7, and G-8, respectively.
His operational deployments include Operation Enduring Freedom, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan; Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; Operation Joint Guardian, Kosovo; and Operation Spartan Shield, where he commanded the “Top Notch” Brigade supporting missions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Syria. He also served in Germany and the Republic of Korea.
In addition to holding a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Truman State University, Pelini holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, a master’s degree in military arts and sciences from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the Army War College. He is a co-author of Stability Economics: The Economic Foundations of Security in Post-conflict Environments.
Pelini’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (3 OLC), Bronze Star Medal, Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (6 OLC), Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC), Joint Meritorious Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation, Superior Unit Citation, Combat Action Badge, Space Badge, and Parachutist Badge.
