COL Smith was commissioned as an Armor Officer in 1996 following graduation from Virginia Military Institute. His first assignment was with the 1st Battalion, 72nd Armor, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea from 1997 to 1998 where he served as a Tank Platoon Leader. He then served in the 1st Armor Training Brigade, Fort Knox, Kentucky as a Basic Training Executive Officer and Battalion S1/4 from 1998 to 2000.
Following graduation from the Armor Officer Advance Course, COL Smith served as the Brigade Planner for the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division and then as Battalion Maintenance Officer, Alpha Company Commander, and HHC Commander, 3rd Battalion 8th Cavalry Regiment from 2001-2005. This tour included a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2004-2005.
He served as a BOLC II instructor, Battalion Operations Officer (S3), and Delta Company Commander in 1st Battalion 11th Infantry, Fort Benning Georgia from 2005-2008.
After graduating from the Command and General Staff College at the Naval War College in Newport Rhode Island, COL Smith served as Brigade Planner for the 5th Brigade (Stryker) 2nd Infantry Division during its deployment to Afghanistan. On return from deployment, COL Smith served as the Squadron Executive Officer of the 8th Squadron 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade (Stryker), 2nd Infantry Division. He then served as the Brigade S3 of the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade from 2010-2013.
Following the completion of Brigade S3, he was stationed at TRADOC HQs, Fort Eustis, VA. There he worked on the commander’s initiative group and the General staff for the TRADOC Commander from 2013-2016.
In 2016 COL Smith assumed command of the 1st squadron 89th cavalry regiment, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. In 2018, COL Smith attended the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA. Upon the completion of the Army War College, COL Smith deployed to Istanbul Turkey as NATO Rapid Deployment Corps-Turkey G3.