Rob Harbison

Rob Harbison competed in both air rifle and small-bore rifle, 3 positions, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, finishing in the top 10 in both events. Harbison was in the Army as a member of the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) and spent 20 years with USAMU, retiring in 2008.

Harbison won three gold medals at the 1995 Pan American Games, two individually in the standard rifle, 3 positions, and the small-bore rifle, prone. He added a team gold in the air rifle. He later won a bronze medal at the 2006 World Shooting Championships in the team standard rifle, 3 positions.

Harbison earned a psychology degree from the University of Tennessee in 1988 and later obtained a masters’ degree in military arts and sciences from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 2002.

He served with the First Cavalry Division during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia as an Abrams tank platoon leader. His assignments included Commander, A Troop, 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment; Executive Officer, 2nd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment; and Ground Operations Officer, US Central Command (CENTCOM). During his assignment with CENTCOM, he served in the Coalition Coordination Center in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Distinguished International Shooter Badge, the Distinguished Rifleman Badge, the President’s Hundred Tab and the Parachutist Badge.

In November 2008, after leaving the Army as a lieutenant-colonel, Harbison joined the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) as Director of Program Operations, a newly created role. His role was at the CMP headquarters in Camp Perry, Ohio, a joint facility shared with the Ohio National Guard.