Andrew ‘Buster’ Crabb (Colonel (ret), US Marine Corps) retired from active duty in 2015 after serving for over 25 years in a variety of operational and training assignments. A career infantry officer, Mr. Crabb was a plank holder in the establishment of US Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MARSOC).
Mr. Crabb spent over four years at the MARSOC where he served as the S-3 Operations Officer for the Foreign Military Training Unit, as an Operational LNO from CJSOTF-Afghanistan to a special missions unit, and as the Director of the Training Branch at the Marine Special Operations School. As a Colonel, Mr. Crabb served as the J-5 Director for Plans and Future Operations, US Central Command – Forward (CF-J) (2013-2014); he also served as the G-3 Operations Officer for US Marine Corps Forces, Central Command (MARCENT) (2014-2015).
While in uniform, Mr. Crabb’s nine deployments abroad included participation in Operations RESTORE HOPE & ENDURING FREEDOM, deployment to Colombia as a Brigade advisor in support of PLAN COLOMBIA (where he provided planning assistance for operations against the FARC and for recovery of US hostages), and a tour as a Brigade advisor to the United Arab Emirates’ Presidential Guard.
Following his retirement, Mr. Crabb immediately went on to be an Operations Analyst in USSOCOM’s J33 Current Operations Division’s Ground-Fires-Maritime Branch (2015-2019). Mr. Crabb holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from The Citadel, a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Security Affairs from the University of Tulane and is a Foreign Area Officer for Latin America. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer’s Course, US Army Ranger School, USMC Mountain Leaders Course, Marine Corps Instructor of Water Survival Course, Amphibious Warfare School, Command and Control Warfare Course, Command & Staff College, Joint Staff College, and the Strategic Planners Course.