Stephen J. Maranian | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Nickname | Steve[1] |
| Born | Natick, Massachusetts, U.S.[2] |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1988–2023 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | 56th Artillery Command United States Army War College Army University United States Army Field Artillery School 19thBattlefield Coordination Detachment 4th Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit (6) Bronze Star Medal (2) Meritorious Service Medal (5) Army Commendation Medal (7) Air Force Commendation Medal (2) Army Achievement Medal (5) Order of National Security Merit (Republic of Korea) Land Forces Emblem of Honor (Romania) Senior Parachutist Badge[2] |
| Alma mater | Bucknell University Webster University United States Army Command and General Staff College United States Army War College Defense Language Institute |
| Spouse | [2] |
Stephen J. Maranian is a retiredmajor general who served in theUnited States Army from 1988 to 2023. Commissioned as aField Artillery officer, Maranian served continuously on active duty, commanding from theplatoon to thetwo-star level. In his final assignment he served as commanding general of the56th Artillery Command inMainz-Kastel,Germany from 2021 to 2023. Maranian served in combat deployments inAfghanistan andIraq and more than half of his career was spent overseas. Maranian holds twomaster's degrees and is a graduate of both theUnited States Army Command and General Staff College and theUnited States Army War College; he has also graduated from theNATO Defense College and theDefense Language Institute.
His other General Officer commands included serving as commandant of theUnited States Army War College from July 2020 to August 2021, and ascommandant of theUnited States Army Field Artillery School from June 2016 to May 2018 while dual-hatted as director of theLong Range Precision FiresCross-Functional Team from October 2017 to May 2018. Other assignments as a General Officer included serving as the deputycommanding general of the2nd Infantry Division inSouth Korea from May 2018 to May 2019 and as the deputy commanding general for education of theUnited States Army Combined Arms Center,provost of theArmy University, and deputy commandant of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College from June 2019 to July 2020.
In August 2021, Maranian was selected to activate and command the 56th Artillery Command in Mainz-Kastel, Germany. The 56th Artillery Command is the U.S. Army's only Theater Fires Command and as such it is the senior Field Artillery command in the European/African areas of responsibility. Maranian activated the 56th in a ceremony held on November 8, 2021.[3]
Maranian grew up inNatick,Massachusetts, where he attended elementary through high school.[2] He graduated fromBucknell University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.[2] Maranian also holds two master's degrees, one in Human Resources Development and one in Strategic Studies. He is a graduate of theUnited States Army Command and General Staff College and theU.S. Army War College, the latter where he served as the student class president for the Resident Class of 2013.[2][4] He also attended theNATO Defense College, and the Greek Language Course (honor graduate) at theDefense Language Institute.[5][6][7]
Commissioned as aField Artillery officer in 1988, Maranian has led units from the platoon to the two-star level.[2] He is a combat veteran, with deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. In total, he has served 13 total overseas deployments and tours totaling 18 of his 35 years of active service[7]
Maranian's commands began at thebattery level with two units in the1st Cavalry Division: Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Division Artillery, and Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery—both inFort Hood,Texas, and the latter also inKuwait.[6] Hisbattalion command was with the4-319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment within the173rd Airborne Brigade inBamberg,Germany and forward deployed for 15 months to Afghanistan.[6] He also commanded the 19thBattlefield Coordination Detachment atRamstein Air Base in Germany.[8]
In 2015–2016, Maranian served as the chief of staff of theU.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force inItaly, participating in events such as the African Land Forces Summit 2016.[9] In June 2016, Maranian transitioned to become the commandant of theField Artillery School and chief of Field Artillery atFt. Sill,Oklahoma.[10] Subsequently, he served as the Director for the U.S. Army'sLong Range Precision Fires (LRPF)Cross-Functional Team through May 2018, which comprised members of organizations from across the U.S. Army and Marine Corps with the purpose of focusing of modernizing "field artillery forces to be able to deliver lethal, long-range precision fires in order to be able to compete, deter and win on the modern battlefield".[11][12] His following assignment was as the deputy commanding general for maneuver of the2nd Infantry Division inSouth Korea.[12] In June 2019, Maranian assumed the post ofCombined Arms Center–Education deputy commanding general, Army University provost and CGSC deputy commandant.[6] He was promoted to Major General on December 2, 2019.[13]
In July 2020, he assumed the duties as the commandant of the U.S. Army War College inCarlisle, Pennsylvania.[14] With the school's provost, MG Maranian "directed revisions and innovations in curriculum and teaching methodologies; and hired faculty with expertise in emerging issues, e.g., futures, data analysis, and environmental security". Also, under his tenure, the "Strategic Studies Institute and Center for Strategic Leadership refocused their ideas and expertise in analysis and experimentation to align with pressing strategic issues".[15]
In August 2021, the Chief of Staff of the Army announced that he would be assigned as the commanding general of the56th Field Artillery Command.[3] He relinquished command of the Army War College to Major General David C. Hill on August 31, 2021[16] and assumed command of the 56th Artillery Command on November 8, 2021.[17] As commanding general of the 56th Artillery Command, Maranian focused the command on building interoperability with NATO Allies through personal engagement with the senior leaders of NATO armies, and through the unit's exercise program. During 2022, the 56th's exercises tested new concepts for linking artillery forces. During Exercise Dynamic Front '22 in July, 2022 the unit successfully paired a U.S. artillery brigade with a multinational fires brigade comprising 11 nations, with NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps providing command and control; a notable "first".[18] Maranian's interoperability efforts were notable in the high north, visiting Scandinavian and Baltic nations and exercising interoperability in bi-lateral training events.[19]
In early 2023, Maranian continued efforts to enhance NATO armies' artillery interoperability visiting several Allied nations, hosting an International Fires Warfighting Forum in Wiesbaden, Germany, and setting conditions for the Dynamic Front 2023 Exercise in Grafenwöhr, Germany and Oksbøl, Denmark.[20] Exercise Dynamic Front 23 proved to be the most significant Artillery interoperability exercise that the NATO Alliance had every conducted bringing together 18 nations to demonstrate technical, procedural and human interoperability. The exercise included a number of "firsts" including operating over a live Mission Partnered Environment, inclusion of Naval Gunfire, and simultaneous execution of live fire in three nations - Denmark, Germany, and Romania.[21]
On February 17, 2023, the Army announced that BG Andrew Gainey would succeed Maranian in command of the 56th Artillery Command.[22] The change of command took place on July 11, 2023, with Gainey becoming the second commander of the Army's only Theater Fires Command. Maranian retired in a small ceremony inWiesbaden, Germany on July 14, 2023.[23]
| Rank | Date |
|---|---|
%2c_rotated.svg) Second lieutenant | May 25, 1988 |
 First lieutenant | September 30, 1990 |
 Captain | February 1, 1993 |
 Major | June 1, 1999 |
.svg) Lieutenant colonel | June 1, 2005 |
 Colonel | September 1, 2010 |
 Brigadier general | May 2, 2017 |
 Major general | December 2, 2019 |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commandant of theUnited States Army Field Artillery School 2016–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Commanding General for Maneuver of the2nd Infantry Division 2018–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Provost of theArmy University and Deputy Commandant of theUnited States Army Command and General Staff College 2019–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commandant of the United States Army War College 2020–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Command reactivated | Commanding General of the56th Artillery Command 2021–2023 | Succeeded by |
.svg)
