Meet the Cadre

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Burch

Department Head & Professor of Military Science

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Burch commissioned as an Engineer Officer through the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Battalion in 2008. As a company-grade officer, he deployed from Fort Riley, Kansas, to Iraq, where he conducted route clearance operations. He later served with the 36th Engineer Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas, where he commanded an engineer company, followed by a rotational deployment to the Republic of Korea as a bridge company commander.

LTC Burch subsequently served as an instructor at the Engineer Captains Career Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, before attending the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, from 2019 to 2020. As a field-grade officer, he served with First Army as an Observer Coach/Trainer and later with V Corps as the Deputy Engineer at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

In 2026, LTC Burch returned to the Fighting Illini Battalion as Professor of Military Science, where he leads the Army ROTC program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.