Major General Karl Horst retired from the United States Army on October 1, 2013 after more than 37 years of enlisted and commissioned service.  During that time, he had the privilege to lead Soldiers at every level of the military, at home and around the world, in peacetime and in combat. 

In his last assignment on active duty he served as Chief of Staff for U.S. Central Command at MacDill AFB, Tampa.  His last command assignment was as the Commanding General of Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.

Complementing his battalion and brigade command experience in the 82nd Airborne Division, General Horst had staff responsibilities at several senior levels: Headquarters, Department of the Army; NATO Military Headquarters; U.S. European Command; U.S. Joint Forces Command; U.S. Northern Command; and finally at U.S. Central Command.

Upon retirement, General Horst followed an atypical career path and went into the automobile industry where he was a General Manager in a large automotive group.  Following his passion as a leader, he founded KNHorst and Associates, LLC that provides consulting support to clients interested in reinforcing ethical behavior and strong positive leadership attributes.  General Horst authored the book “Common Sense Leadership,” with ten leadership lessons learned during his time in the military.  While he lectures about ethics and leadership, he also leverages his experience from the Middle East, lecturing on U.S. National Security challenges influenced by the geo-political and religious challenges of the Middle East and the Levant.  From June 2018 to March 2020, General Horst served as the President and CEO of the non-profit Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.  As a consultant, General Horst provided strategic consulting support to Harmonic International, LLC which co-authored U.S. Cyber Command’s Defend Forward and Persistent Engagement strategies.  Presently, he is the Executive Vice President and Senior Leadership Advisor for the Murphy Group, a forward-looking and entrepreneurial organization with diverse business initiatives; the cornerstone of the Murphy Group is the Murphy Auto Group with five dealerships in three states.

He received his bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.  He is a graduate of the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) Dealer Academy and attended the Kenan-Flagler Business School Executive Development Program at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.  

During his time on active duty, General Horst received numerous awards and decorations including two awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Defense Superior Service Medal, five awards of the Legion of Merit, three awards of the Bronze Star Medal, the French Ordre National du Mérite, and the Bronze Polish Army Medal.  Additionally, he is a Combat Infantryman, a Master Parachutist, and an Army Ranger.

Karl resides in Tampa with his wife of more than 40 years, Nancy.  They have three grown children and nine grandchildren.