Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5) Robert W. Balch is a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and entered the military February 4, 1998. He completed basic training at Ft Sill, Oklahoma and 14T-Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator/Maintainer Advanced Individual Training at Ft Bliss, Texas.
After serving seven years as an enlisted Soldier and non-commissioned officer within Air Defense, he was selected to attend Warrant Officer Candidate School in 2006. He graduated from the Warrant Officer Basic Course in February 2007 where he was awarded the Military Occupational Specialty 140A, C2 Systems Integrator.
Balch’s previous assignments include: Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, located in Hanau, Germany, as a Patriot Operator/Maintainer; Charlie Battery, 2nd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, located at Ft. Bliss, Texas, as a Launcher Section Sergeant; Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Battalion, 44th Air and Missile Defense Composite Regiment, located at Ft. Hood, Texas, as an Air Defense Systems Integrator; 1st Space Company, 1st Space Battalion, located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, as the Training and Evaluations Officer; 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, located on Rhine Ordnance Barracks, Germany, as the Senior Interface Control Officer; Headquarters and Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, located at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, as the 140A Warrant Officer Education System Chief and 140A Warrant Officer Basic Course Instructor/Manager; and at the Army Futures Commands Air and Missile Defense Cross-Functional Team, also located at Ft. Sill, OK as the Senior Technical Advisor.
Balch’s Awards and Decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4th award), Army Commendation Medal (6th), Army Achievement Medal (8th award), Army Good Conduct Medal (2 Knots), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal (Campaign Star), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (2nd Award) Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Overseas Service Ribbon (5th Award).
Balch is currently assigned as the Command Chief Warrant Officer of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, located on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii. He has been married 21 years to the former Victoria Oginski of Saratoga Springs, New York. They have two sons: Blake and Avery.