COL Loyd Beal III is a native of San Felipe, Texas. He joined the U.S. Army Reserves as an orthopedic specialist and was assigned to the 4005th U.S. Army Hospital located in Houston, Texas in 1991. Commissioned as an Engineer Officer in 1997, COL Beal’s first assignment was the 8th Engineer Battalion, 1st Calvary Division located at Fort Cavazos, Texas. While in the 8th Engineer Battalion he served as a Combat Engineer Platoon Leader, Assault and Obstacle Platoon Leader, and Battalion Maintenance Officer. In 2002, COL Beal was assigned to the 36th Engineer Group where he served as the Group S4 and Design Engineer at Fort Moore, GA. After which, he commanded Echo Company, 2-69 Armor Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Moore, Georgia (2004-2005) and Baqubah Iraq (2005-2006).
In 2006, COL Beal joined the Army Acquisition Corps and served as a warranted Procurement Contracting Officer and Future Combat Systems Ground Combat Vehicle Assistant Program Manager at the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command located at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan. From 2010-2013, he served as the Acquisition Management Branch, Lieutenant Colonel Assignment Officer while assigned to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, FT Knox, Kentucky. From 2013-2015 he was the Deputy to the District Chief of Contracting and Military Contingency Contracting Team Leader at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District and CENTCOM Joint Theater Support Contracting Command J3 Director in Kabul, Afghanistan. COL Beal served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement) Executive Officer from 2015-2016 prior to becoming the Crew Served Weapons Product Manager at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey from 2016-2018. From 2019-2020, COL Beal was the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Special Programs Director. After which, he assumed responsibility of Project Manager Terrestrial Sensors at FT Belvoir, Virginia. COL Beal currently serves as an associate professor at the National Defense University where he provides thought leadership on International Acquisitions (Cooperative Programs, Export Controls, International Arms Market, and Comparative Acquisition Systems).
COL Beal received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy from Prairie View A&M University in 1997, Master of Science Degree in Management from Troy University in 2004, Doctor of Business Administration from Lawrence Technological University in 2011, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2019.
COL Beal’s military education includes Senior Service College, Acquisition Qualification Course, Combined Arms Service and Staff School, Army Logistics Management College, Maneuver Captains Career Course, and Engineer Officer Basic Course. COL Beal is a graduate of the Logistic and Technology Advance Program, Kenan-Flagler Business School, North Carolina University and is a certified Program Manager Professional.
COL Beal’s son is a paratrooper and civil affairs officer at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and his daughter is attending Princeton University.