February 15, 2008
Colloquium Topic: The Battle of Falluja
Overview not available.
Colloquium Speaker: Col. Michael A. Shupp
Colonel Michael A. Shupp is currently assigned as Legislative Assistant for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. COL Shupp was raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He attended the Virginia Military Institute and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History. He completed the Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1979 and the Marine Officers' Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia, in 1980. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and entered the Marine Corps in May of 1981. He completed the Marine Officers' Basic School and the Assault Amphibian Vehicle Officers' Course in 1981. In 1997, Major Shupp was assigned as an operational planner for the II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During this tour, he was the lead planner for the annual MEF deployments to Norway and played an instrumental role in the deployment of disaster relief forces to Central America. He deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1998 as the Plans Officer for Two Six MEU (SOC) for Operation Dynamic Response and in 1999, deployed to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe as the Marine Corps' ground war planner to the Assessment Planning Team for Operation Allied Force in Kosovo. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on July 1, 1998. In 1999, he assumed command of the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion at the MAGTF-Training Command, Twenty-nine Palms. He deployed the Battalion to Egypt on Operation Bright Star '00 as the Ground Combat Element Commander of the Special Purpose MAGTF. In June 2001, Lieutenant Colonel Shupp was assigned as the Marine Corps' Liaison to the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. He was promoted to Colonel on 1 October 2003. Colonel Shupp assumed command of Regimental Combat Team - 1 (RCT-1) on 15 September 2004 at Camp Fallujah, Iraq while deployed on Operation Iraqi Freedom II. There he led the Regiment through counter-insurgency operations, the Battle of Fallujah (Operation Al Fajr), humanitarian assistance efforts and the reconstruction of Fallujah, and the first free Iraqi National election in January 2005. Colonel Shupp completed his command of the 1st Marines in June of 2006. He was then assigned as the Chief of Staff for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) in Washington, D.C. In early 2008, he became Legislative Assistant for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Colonel Shupp is a graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, the School of Advanced Warfighting and the Joint Forces Staff College . He received a Master of Arts degree in Business Management from Webster University and a Master of Arts degree in Military Studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit with Combat "Valor" Distinguishing Device and gold star in lieu of second award, the Bronze Star with Combat "Valor" Distinguishing Device, Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars in lieu of third award, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon with gold star in lieu of second award.