Commandant, US Corps of Cadets,
United States Military Academy, West Point

 Brigadier General William E. Rapp graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) in 1984 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers.  His civilian education includes a Bachelor of Science degree from USMA, a Masters of Arts in Political Science and a PhD in International Relations from Stanford University.  His military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic Course, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, US Army Command and General Staff College, the Army War College where he earned a Masters of Arts in National Security Policy, and the Joint Forces Staff College.  He was the distinguished honor graduate of his Infantry Officer Advance Course, Ranger School class, Jumpmaster class, and the Strategist Program at CGSC.  Brigadier General Rapp is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Virginia.

Brigadier General Rapp’s early assignments included duties as a Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Assistant S3, and the Corps Operations Officer in Germany and at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  He commanded an airborne engineer company during OPERATION DESERT STORM.  Following grad school, he then served as an instructor and assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences at USMA and as an Engineer Battalion S3 and Group S3 at Fort Lewis, Washington.  He also served as the Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) before commanding the 54^th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Mech) in Bamberg, Germany.

Following command, Brigadier General Rapp was selected for the Council of Foreign Relations Fellowship at the Institute for International Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan.  He returned to the States in the summer of 2003 to attend the Army War College before proceeding to Fort Lewis to serve as the Chief of Plans (G3) for I Corps Headquarters.  In June 2005, he assumed command of 555^th Combat Engineer Group and deployed in support of the 101^st Airborne Division for OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.

 In 2007, Brigadier General Rapp completed his command and returned to Iraq as the Director of the Commander’s Initiatives Group serving under GEN Petraeus in Multi-National Forces-Iraq.  In his most recent assignment, Brigadier General Rapp served as the Commanding General of the Northwestern Division of the Corps of Engineers in Portland, Oregon.

 Brigadier General Rapp returns to the United States Military Academy to assume command of the United States Corps of Cadets as the 72^nd Commandant of Cadets.

Brigadier General Rapp’s awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters.  He has earned the Combat Action Badge, Master Parachutist wings, Air Assault wings, Ranger Tab, and the Engineer Regiment’s Bronze DeFleury Medal.