Maj. Gen. Joseph "Joe" Hilbert

Major General Joseph “Joe” E. Hilbert assumed command of the 11th Airborne Division on 27 June 2024. Commissioned into the Field Artillery in 1993, Maj. Gen. Hilbert has served in a wide variety of positions throughout the United States and Europe.

He previously served as the Director of Force Development for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8; the Commanding General for 7th Army Training Command; Deputy Commanding General for the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia; Commander of Operations Group at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center; Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery; and Commander of the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery (HIMARS).

His staff experience includes Chief of Current Operations at XVIII Airborne Corps; Deputy Chief of Staff for 7th Infantry Division; Chief of Operational Fires at the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC); Operations Officer for the 18th Field Artillery Brigade (Airborne) and 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment (HIMARS); and Aide de Camp for the Commanding General, U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC).

Maj. Gen. Hilbert’s operational deployments include Operation Uphold Democracy and later the United Nations Mission in Haiti; Operation Joint Guardian and the Kosovo Force; and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

He holds a Master’s in Security Studies from the Army War College and is an Olmsted Scholar having earned a Master’s in European Studies (Magister Artium Europastudien) from the Universität Leipzig in Leipzig, Germany. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Ministries from the Moody Bible Institute and is fluent in German.

His awards include the Master Parachutist Badge, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.