Brigadier General David W. Coffman

DORAL, FL, UNITED STATES

06.19.2013

Courtesy Story

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South

DORAL, Fla. - Brigadier General David W. Coffman was born and raised in Eustis, Florida, graduated cum laude from Duke University, and was commissioned a Marine Second Lieutenant through the NROTC Program in May 1985.

He completed flight school and was designated a Naval Aviator in May 1987.As a CH-46 helicopter pilot, his operational flying tours include multiple deployments across PACOM and CENTCOM AORs with HMM-262 out of Hawaii, HMM-163 out of El Toro, California, and as Commanding Officer of HMM-161 stationed at MCAS Miramar California.

Then LtCol Coffman commanded HMM-161 during their 2004 deployment to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom II, where the squadron served as the primary Casualty Evacuation squadron for I MEF and was recognized by the Marine Corps Aviation Association as the Edward C. Dyer Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron of the Year for 2004.

Then Colonel Coffman commanded the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU) at Camp Pendleton from January 2008 to October 2011.

He led the "fighting thirteenth" through two full deployment cycles, culminating in seven month deployments aboard BOXER Amphibious Ready Group (BOX ARG) in 2009 and again in 2011. During these deployments, the BOX ARG/13th MEU team supported operations, exercises, and training across PACOM, CENTCOM, and AFRICOM AORs. 2009 deployment highlights included extended counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin.

The 2011 deployment featured extended national tasking in support of counter-terrorism operations, and CENTCOM Contingency Response activities during the turmoil of the "Arab Spring."

BGen Coffman has served on staff at multiple levels of command, including MEU, MAG, MEF, JTF, and Combatant Command. At USCENTCOM from 1999 to 2002, he supported the development and execution of combined exercise programs with friendly nations on the Arabian Peninsula and supervised the USCENTCOM ARG-MEU Exercise Program.

In 2003, he participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom I as MAG-16 Operations Officer. From 2006 to 2008 he served as Future Operations Officer for I MEF.

BGen Coffman graduated with honors from both The Basic School and the Amphibious Warfare School, earned a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies with highest distinction while attending the College of Naval Command and Staff at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and completed a Top-Level-School-equivalent fellowship with the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica, California where he served as Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow providing Marine expertise to the ongoing national defense related research conducted at Rand.

BGen Coffman is currently assigned to the Operations Directorate of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, where he serves as a Deputy Director of Operations for the National Military Command Center.

• Date Taken: 06.19.2013
• Date Posted: 06.19.2013 17:50
• Story ID: 108913
• Location: DORAL, FL, US
• Hometown: EUSTIS, FL, US