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1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment

Lt. Col. Joe Branch graduated Clemson University in Clemson, SC in 2005. He commissioned as an Infantry officer through Army ROTC.  His first assignment was a Platoon Leader in A Co, 2-325th AIR, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Liberty, NC, where he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Branch was then assigned to 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Moore, Ga, where he served as a Ranger Platoon Leader in C Co, 3/75th RGR RGT and as a Ranger Company Executive Officer in B Co, 3/75th RGR RGT. Where, he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror.

Following the Maneuver Captains Career Course, Branch was assigned to 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga. Here, he completed two Company Commands as the commander for B Co, 1-30th IN and later the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) for 1-30th IN, where he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror.

 Branch then moved to 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield (HAAF), Ga where he served as the Battalion Logistics Officer (S4) and the B Co, 1/75th RGR RGT Company Commander, deploying multiple times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Following his assignment at HAAF, Branch moved to Washington D.C. to complete ILE as a member of the Joint Interagency Fellowship Program. He worked at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in the Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Directorate.

 Branch then served as the Battalion Operations Officer and Executive Officer in 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), Vicenza, Italy.

Following his time in the 173rd, Branch moved to the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) at Fort Liberty, NC where he served as the 75th Ranger Regiment representative in the USASOC Commanding General’s Commander’s Action Group.

In 2021, Branch transitioned to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Liberty, NC, where he served as a Joint Exercise Planner and the Exercise Division Director.

 Branch completed graduate studies in business management through Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA and The Wharton Business School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Branch is married to the former Amy Hargette of Greenville, SC and they have two sons, Joseph (11) and Beckett (7).