Bill Speer received his commission upon graduation from Arkansas Tech University in 1972. He served as an infantry officer for four years before transitioning to Military Intelligence Branch.
He served as a company grade officer in the 7th Infantry Division where he served as a battery commander in the 79th Field Artillery Battalion, the 82d Airborne Division where he served on the Division G-2 staff and a brigade S2, and with J-2, United States Forces Korea, where he served as warning officer.
His field grade assignments included a tour with the 3rd Armored Division where he served as the S-3 of the 533rd Military Intelligence Battalion and the Operations Officer on the Division G-2 staff. He also served on the staff of the Directorate of Combat Development at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School, and as a member of the Commanders Planning Group at Headquarters, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.
He served as the G-2 of the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) and the commander of the 105th Military Intelligence Battalion and the 522d Military Intelligence Battalion after the 5th Infantry Division relocated to Fort Hood and reflagged as the 2d Armored Division.
He served on the Army G-2 staff as the Director of Foreign Intelligence and concurrently served for a portion of time as the Deputy G-2. He served as one of four handpicked strategists assigned to support the 34th Chief of Staff, Army. Upon retirement from active duty in the fall of 2000, he returned to the Army G-2 to serve as an Army civilian in a Senior Executive-equivalent position as the Technical Advisor for Analysis and Production.
He resigned from Army civil service in the fall of 2007. He joined the personal staff of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Washington, D.C., in January 2009. He served as an intermittent consultant (civil service position) in direct support of the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs until December 2011.
His degrees include Master of Arts, National Security & Strategic Studies, U.S. Naval War College, Master of Military Art & Science, School of Advanced Military Studies, U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, Master of Arts, Human Resources Management, Webster College, and Bachelor of Arts, Music Education, Arkansas Tech University
Colonel Speer's decorations and awards include: