Brigadier General Jerry E. Baird, Jr. is currently assigned as the Deputy Commanding General -Support and Deputy Commanding General - National Guard for United States Army North (5th Army). Additionally, he serves as the Commander of Task Force 51, U.S. Army North’s Contingency Command Post, which provides USARNORTH a rapidly deployable capability to partner with civil authorities and DoD entities in response to a Homeland Defense and Homeland Security Operations.
Brigadier General Jerry E. Baird, Jr. previously served as Director, United States Central Command Forward – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, headquartered in Riyadh. In this role, he represents U.S. Central Command interests in the Kingdom, strengthened strategic military partnerships, and supported regional security cooperation across one of the most operationally significant theaters in the world. He assumed those duties in April 2025.
Commissioned through Officer Candidate School in August 1995, Brigadier General Baird has built a career defined by operational leadership, strategic coordination, and service at the intersection of homeland defense and global security. His assignments span tactical command, joint operations, state and federal headquarters leadership, and multinational engagement.
Operational assignments he most recently served as Deputy Commanding General (Forward) for the 82nd Airborne Division and as Deputy Commanding General (Forward) for the Security Assistance Group–Ukraine during Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce in Jasionka, Poland. In that capacity, he helped synchronize coalition security assistance efforts and forward-deployed combat power in support of NATO’s eastern flank. Earlier in his career, he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a company commander at Camp Bucca, Iraq.
Within the National Guard enterprise, Brigadier General Baird has commanded at battalion and brigade levels and held key strategic positions including Provost Marshal of the National Guard Bureau, Deputy J34, Director of Joint Staff for North Carolina, and Commander of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. His experience spans domestic operations, counterdrug missions, force development, recruiting and retention, safety oversight, and large-scale training rotations. Across these assignments, he has focused on readiness, leader development, and disciplined execution under complex conditions.
Brigadier General Baird is a graduate of the Joint Combined Warfare School, the Air Force War College, the Army Combined Arms and Services Staff School, and multiple senior leader development programs. He is a qualified dual status commander. He also completed the Leadership in Homeland Security program at Harvard Kennedy School. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mars Hill University and a Master of Education in Instructional Design and Training and Development from North Carolina State University.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Valley Forge Cross for Heroism, among others. He is also the recipient of the Order of Marechaussee Medal, Order of de Fleury Medal, the Moldovan Fraternity in Arms Medal, and the Order of Saint Barbara Medal.
In addition to his military service, Brigadier General Baird has served since 2017 as an adjunct professor at Western Carolina University, teaching courses in emergency management, homeland security, terrorism studies, and civil unrest. Published author of “Managing Civil Unrest, A Leaders Guide”. His professional focus reflects a lifelong commitment to leadership in complex operational environments, both at home and abroad.
Brigadier General Baird is married and they have two sons serving as Army officers. A family that continues to serve with pride in support of the nation’s defense and its enduring alliances.