Cadets Interview Army Astronaut Col. Andrew "Drew" Morgan

As the United States Army marked its 250th birthday with a parade and celebration in Washington, D.C. on June 14, 2025, a contingent of cadets and alumni (Cody Bartmann '25, Michael Henriksen '25, Rommel Meza '24, "Rory" Burke '24, and James Mansfield '22) from The Cadet newspaper traveled to the nation's capital to cover the historic event as credentialed members of the official media pool. Their presence and access were made possible through the support of The Cadet Foundation, which worked diligently to secure press credentials, enabling cadets to document the celebration and engage with distinguished alumni and Army leaders. "It's certainly an honor to be here," Col. Morgan began. "I didn't even expect to be invited, but you can see that the entire Army is represented—everything—every vehicle, every career field, every MOS. And Army astronauts are part of that. We're part of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command, and the Army has had a hand in our space program since the beginning, going back decades, all the way back to the beginning, preceded by NASA. The Army put a rocket into space with our first satellite before NASA even existed." Col. Morgan is one of only 20 Army officers who have become astronauts. He launched aboard the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft in 2019, the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, and spent nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight engineer for Expeditions 60, 61, and 62. During his time aboard the ISS, he conducted seven spacewalks totaling 45 hours and 48 minutes - an American record for a single spaceflight. "It was an outstanding experience," he recalled. "NASA selected me back in 2013, but they selected me because I had a skill set that they were looking for, and that 100% came from my Army experience." Col. Morgan's journey to space began with his education at the US Military Academy at West Point, followed by medical training at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He completed a residency in emergency medicine, served with elite Army special operations units, and later became a diving medical officer and master flight surgeon. He never imagined he'd end up as an astronaut: "I've been inspired by astronauts my entire life… but I didn't plot a path to become an astronaut. I first chose to be a soldier… and then discovered medicine, and then discovered special operations, and then discovered how to be an astronaut." Reflecting on the Army's future, especially with the growing role of space in modern warfare, Col. Morgan emphasized the critical transformation underway: "We're at the forefront of all sorts of new things as we face great power competition in a multi-domain battlefield. The Army is at the center of that. Space is a huge part of that, and the Army has a role in space." In line with that vision, the Army selected Colonel Morgan for brigade-level command, and he is currently serving a two-year rotation as the Commander of US Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll and senior military advisor to the US Embassy in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands. The Army's involvement in space operations is formalized through its NASA Detachment, housed at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, under the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command. This small but elite team includes currently serving astronauts such as Col. Anne McClain and Col. Frank Rubio. They serve as ambassadors for the Army at NASA and provide technical expertise for human spaceflight systems. Their work enhances the Army's understanding of space as a warfighting domain and supports both strategic and tactical military operations globally. For Cadets aspiring to lead, Col. Morgan offered impactful but straightforward advice: "First, do what you love doing. Second, whatever it is that you choose to do, you have to do it with excellence. Find out what those markers of excellence are and be the best that you can be at that thing. And then, the last thing is that you have to be a good team player. You need everybody around you, your seniors, and your subordinates to see the same person, and you need to be a good team player in all respects. If you do those three things, you'll have a successful career." The Cadet thanks Col. Morgan for speaking with us, as well as Lt. Col. Rori Chrisco-Janker for the introduction.