Colonel Kent Justice graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2002 with a B.S. in Engineering Management. While at West Point, he was selected to become an East-West Center Fellow, providing for two years of graduate study at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Kent graduated with an M.A. in Political Science (Asian Politics) in 2004.
Kent then completed the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course in 2005 before being assigned to various units in the Republic of Korea over a period of four years. Following this, Kent entered training to become a Northeast Asia Foreign Area Officer and completed the Japanese language course at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, earning an Associate of Arts degree in Japanese. Kent graduated from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Command and General Staff Course in 2015, followed by a tour in Seoul, South Korea, as a Multinational Policy Officer and Deputy Division Chief in the United Nations Command (UNC) / Combined Forces Command (CFC) U/C-5. While assigned to UNC/CFC, Kent completed the Joint Force Staff College’s Joint and Combined Warfighting School in Norfolk, Virginia. Kent then served as the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Liaison Officer to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Training, Evaluation, Research and Development Command in Tokyo, Japan. Following this assignment, Kent served in the U.S. Embassy Tokyo’s Mutual Defense Assistance Office as the Director of Policy, Plans, and Integration and Director for Ground Capability Development. Kent followed this assignment by serving in the U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, Hawai’i, as the Chief of International Military Affairs in the G3 Security Cooperation Division.
Kent’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, three Defense Meritorious Service Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Army Commendation Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, eight Overseas Service Ribbons, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Military Civic Action Medal, Japan’s Defense Cooperation Award, the Air Assault Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. Kent is also a recipient of the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold), as well as Canadian, Australian, and Korean Parachutist Badges.
