What military roles did Colin Powell hold before his first federal appointment?

1. From ROTC cadet to combat lieutenant — Powell’s early operational footprint

Powell’s military career began with an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant after City College of New York, then moved quickly into advisory and combat assignments in Vietnam where he served as a military advisor to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and was wounded in action, an experience that marked his early operational credentials ^{[1] [6] [7]}.

2. Climbing the command ladder — stateside and overseas leadership posts

Over decades Powell held operational and command assignments across the United States, Germany, Korea and multiple tours in Vietnam — roles that combined tactical leadership with increasing responsibility and prepared him for senior command ^{[4] [8] [9]}.

3. From field officer to Pentagon insider — staff and policy roles

Powell moved into important staff billets at the Pentagon, serving in various posts and rising to become senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger in 1983; those Pentagon roles placed him at the interface of military planning and civilian defense leadership ^{[5] [8]}.

4. National Security Council and senior White House advising

In 1987 Powell joined the National Security Council staff as deputy to Frank Carlucci and later succeeded Carlucci as assistant to the president for national security affairs — positions that embedded him in national security policymaking beyond strictly military command ^[5].

5. Senior Army command — Army Forces Command and four‑star promotion

By 1989 Powell took command of Army Forces Command and was promoted to four‑star general, a critical step that preceded his nomination to the nation’s highest military post and reflected his dual track of operational command and strategic leadership ^{[5] [3]}.

6. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs — the capstone military role before civilian office

Powell was appointed the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President George H.W. Bush in October 1989 and served until September 1993; in that capacity he led joint military planning and operations, notably overseeing the U.S. role in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and managing 28 crises during his tenure ^{[2] [3] [8]}.

7. How these roles positioned Powell for his first federal cabinet appointment

Powell’s blend of combat experience, command at multiple echelons, Pentagon staff work, and White House national security advising created a résumé that bridged military competence and policy experience — the profile that later underpinned his unanimous Senate confirmation as Secretary of State in 2001 ^{[5] [3]}.

8. What the sources emphasize and what they omit

The supplied biographies and institutional pages consistently note Powell’s progression from commissioned officer to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and list key assignments ^{[1] [5] [2]}. Available sources do not provide a single exhaustive, year‑by‑year list within this set; detailed intermediate postings (exact dates and all unit commands) are summarized rather than itemized in the current reporting ^{[6] [10]}.

9. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas in the coverage

Official and institutional sources (Joint Chiefs, Pentagon, White House archive, museum/academic profiles) highlight Powell’s leadership, historic firsts, decorations, and crisis management — an emphasis consistent with honoring a public figure’s service record ^{[11] [12] [13]}. Biographical summaries reinforce the narrative of steady advancement and bipartisan respect; they do not focus here on controversies from his later civilian roles, which other reporting emphasizes but which are not detailed in these military‑career sources ^{[2] [5]}.

10. Bottom line for the original question

Before his first federal cabinet appointment as Secretary of State in 2001, Colin Powell’s military roles included: commissioned second lieutenant via ROTC; Vietnam military advisor and combat officer; various operational and command positions in the U.S., Germany, Korea and Vietnam; Pentagon staff posts culminating as senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense; National Security Council staff and senior White House security adviser; commander of Army Forces Command; and finally Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ^{[1] [4] [5] [3]}.