Colonel (Ret) Michael A. Ball

 COL(Ret) Michael A. Ball is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. Commissioned into the Field Artillery, he served as a platoon leader and fire direction officer, 6th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Federal Republic of Germany and a fire support officer in the 2nd Infantry Division, Republic of Korea. COL(Ret) Ball Graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in May 1997 and was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, NC, as the Commander, Special Forces Operational Detachment - Alpha 321 and later as the Commander, Headquarters and Support Company. He served as the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Plans and Future Operations Officer and then as the Secretary of the General Staff, U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne). 

As a Major, he served as the Executive Officer and Alpha Company Commander,1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC. Upon his change of command, he was assigned to Special Operations Command South, Homestead Air Reserve Base, FL, where he served as a plans officer, chief of future operations, lead planner and operations officer for Operation Willing Sprit, and Commander, Special Operations Command Forward – Paraguay. He assumed command of 4th Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, KY. in September 2010. During his command tenure, he deployed the battalion to Iraq and assumed command of Special Operations Task Force - Central, which later transitioned to Special Operations Task Force - Iraq. Upon relinquishing command, he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G8, U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC and then as the Deputy Commander, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC.

COL(Ret) Ball assumed command of 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base, FL in 2015 and relinquished command in 2017. He served as a Deputy Commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan as the Advisor to the Commander, Afghan National Army Special Operations Command. He served his final assignment as Chief of Current Operations Division, Operations Directorate, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL. He retired in June 2021 and currently serves as a special operations forces senior mentor to the Army Joint Readiness Training Center and National Training Center.

He is a 2003 Graduate of the Command and General Staff College, a 2004 graduate of the School of Advanced Military Studies, and a 2015 graduate of the National Defense University in Islamabad, Pakistan. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and two Masters Degrees