White Sands Commanders

Brigadier General Ronald V. Hite, the 19th Commander of White Sands Missile Range, was born 10 May 1943 near Jonesborough, Tennessee. He received his commission in 1964 following graduation from East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. In 1974, he earned a Master’s Degree in Procurement and Contracting from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida.

General Hite attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course, the Ordnance Advanced Course, Command and General Staff College, the Defense Systems Management College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Some of General Hite’s early assignments included service with the 8th Infantry Division, Germany; the 2nd Maintenance Battalion, Vietnam; the Shillelagh and Lance Missile System Project Managers Offices, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; the Foreign Military Sales Directorate, Missile Command, Huntsville, Alabama; Executive Officer of the 227th Maintenance Battalion, Korea; and the Directorate of Program Analysis and Evaluation, Office of the Chief of Staff, Department of the Army, Washington, DC.
He served as the Commander of the 707th Maintenance Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, Fort Ord, California, from 1979 to 1981. Then he was assigned to the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he was one of the founders of, and a staff leader in, the Combined Arms Services Staff School.

In 1984, he activated and was the first Commander of the U.S. Army Combat Systems Test Activity, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. At Aberdeen, he served as the Officer in Charge of the Bradley and Abrams Live Fire Test Programs. In January 1988, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command.

Immediately prior to his assumption of command at White Sands Missile Range on 10 August 1990, General Hite served in Warren, Michigan, at the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command. His first assignment there was as Program Executive Officer, Combat Support, where he was responsible for development, production and fielding of the Army’s High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle, medium/heavy truck fleets and commercial construction equipment. He next served as Deputy Program Executive Officer for Future Systems, Armored Systems Modernization, responsible for establishing development programs for the future tank, combat engineer vehicle, self-propelled howitzer, line-of-site anti-tank system, ammunition re-supply vehicle, and the infantry fighting vehicle.

Among his decorations are the Legion of Merit (with three Oak leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with three Oak leaf Clusters), the Army Commendation Medal, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab, a Meritorious Unit Citation, and the Army General Staff Badge.

Following his assignment at White Sands Missile Range, he was promoted to Major General and assumed command of the US Army Test and Evaluation Command and Aberdeen Proving Ground on 27 June 1991

General Hite and his wife, Mildred, have two children, Mia and Tifani, and one grandchild.