During his army career, Sullivan served as: Assistant Commandant, United States Army Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky from November 1983 to July 1985; Deputy Commandant, United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas from March 1987 to June 1988; Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas from June 1988 to July 1989; Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans; and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1990 to 1991. His overseas assignments included four tours in Europe, two in Vietnam and one in Korea. Sullivan culminated his service in uniform as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the United States Army—the senior general officer in the army—and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Chief of Staff of the Army, Sullivan created the vision and led the team that transitioned the army from its Cold War posture. In August 1993, President Bill Clinton assigned the duties and responsibility of acting Secretary of the Army to Sullivan who continued to serve as Chief of Staff. Sullivan retired from the United States Army on July 31, 1995 after more than 36 years of active service. The military march "Architect of Victory" was dedicated to him on the occasion of his retirement.
Post-army career and later life
Sullivan is the co-author, with Michael V. Harper, of Hope Is Not a Method, which chronicles the enormous challenges encountered in transforming the post-Cold War army through the lens of proven leadership principles and a commitment to shared values. Sullivan currently serves as the chairman of the board of trustees of Norwich University, the Army Historical Foundation, and the Marshall Legacy Institute, as well as a member of the MITRE Army Advisory Board, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Advisory Board, and a Life Trustee of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. He was also the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of the United States Army, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia from February 1998 through June 2016. Sullivan is an Advisory Board Member of Spirit of America, a 501 organization that supports the safety and success of Americans serving abroad and the local people and partners they seek to help. In recognition of his military career and his work with AUSA, Sullivan was awarded the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award by the United States Military Academy in 2003, and the AUSA General George Catlett Marshall Medal, the Association's highest honor, in October 2016.
Personal life
He was married to Miriam Gay Loftus until her passing. He married Lori Boyle Sullivan in November 2017. He lives in Falmouth, MA. He has three children and three grandchildren. He is an avid reader and historian.
Awards and decorations
Medals and ribbons
In fiction
Sullivan appears in the Lee Child book The Enemy, set in January 1990, in which protagonist Jack Reacher believes that the Army Chief of Staff is at the heart of a conspiracy that has left three people dead. Reacher goes to the Pentagon to confront the Chief of Staff. It is revealed that the Chief of Staff has actually been helping Reacher's investigation into the murders by making key personnel changes in Army installations in the United States and elsewhere. Sullivan is mentioned by title only, but the Chief of Staff is described in the books as having come up in the Army from the Armored Division. The Chief of Staff also discusses the challenges posed by the end of the Cold War and the resulting restructuring of the Army.
