Lieutenant General Keith M. Huber assumed command of Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 (CJIATF 435) in July 2011. CJIATF 435 exercises oversight and control of U. S. detention operations in Afghanistan. With policy guidance from the United States Embassy and in cooperation with Afghan, interagency, coalition and international partners, CJIATF 435 assists the government of Afghanistan to enable conditions-based transition of U.S. detention operations to Afghan control, and to advance the development of rule of law in Afghanistan.
Prior to command of CJIATF 435, LTG Huber was Deputy Commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, whose mission is to provide mission-ready, joint-capable forces and support the development and integration of joint, interagency, and multi-national capabilities to meet the present and future operational needs of the joint force.
LTG Huber’s 38 years of commissioned service in the US Army have spanned conventional, unconventional and combined joint duty assignments. His conventional duty assignments include platoon leader in the 7th Infantry Division, and company commander, battalion operations officer, brigade and division operations officer, battalion commander and director of civil-military affairs, all with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He served as Assistant Division Commander of the 10th Mountain Division, Deputy Commanding General of 1st Army and Commanding General of US Army South.
LTG Huber’s unconventional assignments include Special Forces Operational Detachment team leader in Panama with 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and Special Forces Field Advisor tours in Nicaragua and El Salvador.
His combined joint duty assignments include Chief of Operations, UN Mission Haiti; Commander Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras; Executive Officer to the Commander and Director of Operations of US Southern Command; Commanding General, Multinational Brigade (East) in Kosovo; Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board; and Director of the Inter-American Defense College in Washington, D.C.
A native of Springfield, Ohio, LTG Huber graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned in the infantry. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, the Armor Officer Advanced Course, the Army Command and General Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College. He received a Master of Public Administration degree from Golden State University in 1984.
LTG Huber has earned the Combat Infantryman, Expert Infantryman, Master Parachutist, Combat Diver, Special Operations Diving Supervisor, Air Assault and Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification badges and is Special Forces and Ranger qualified.