Lieutenant General Bennett was commissioned in 1990 into the Field Artillery as a Distinguished Military Graduate. His most recent assignment was as the 32nd Director of Army Budget in the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller ASA (FM&C).
He began his operational assignments with the 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery in Korea and also served as the Task Force Finance Officer for 4th Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, for a Multinational Force and Observers rotation to Sinai, Egypt. He had two company command experiences with the 82nd Finance Battalion at Fort Bragg, and the 177th Finance Battalion in Korea. Following completion of graduate school at Syracuse University, he served as the Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Resource Management, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe. Shortly after arriving for duty at the Pentagon, he supported the Army and Nation’s response to the 9-11 attacks before attending Command and General Staff College.
He returned to the 82nd Airborne Division as the Division Finance Support Operations Officer and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He then served as the Executive Officer to the Director of Army Budget, as a Program Examiner at the Office of Management and Budget, and as a Congressional Budget Liaison for the ASA (FM&C). Lt. Gen. Bennett commanded the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light), Fort Drum for 31 months including a deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He returned to the Pentagon as the Executive Officer to the Military Deputy for Budget, and the Chief of the PPBE for ASA (FM&C). Lt. Gen. Bennett also served as the G8, at I Corps, Joint Base Lewis-McChord before deploying again to serve as the Deputy Director of Resource Management with the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A) in support of the Resolute Support mission. Lt. Gen. Bennett then served as the Chief of Army Congressional Budget Liaison, in the ASA (FM&C). He served as the Director of Resource Management (G8) for Installation Management Command and the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Financial Management Command before most recently serving as Director of Army Budget.
A native of Ohio, Lt. Gen. Bennett holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in Accounting from John Carroll University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Syracuse University. He additionally holds a Master of Science degree in National Security and Resource Strategy from the National Defense University. His military training includes the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, Finance Officer Advanced Course, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (4OLC), Bronze Star Medal (1OLC), Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (1 SLC + 2 OLC), Senior Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Presidential Service Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge.