CPT(P) Natalie J. Budner

CPT Natalie Budner was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Geography and Eurasian Foreign Studies. She commissioned into the Military Police Corps. 

CPT Budner served as a Platoon Leader in the 984 MP Company at Fort Carson, CO and deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Upon return, she served as a Company Executive Officer for the 110 MP Company. In 2020, CPT Budner transitioned to Vilseck, Germany to serve as the 18 MP BDE Plans Officer. She was fortunate to plan the brigade’s participation in 14 USAREUR-AF exercises with allied nations, to include DEFENDER-Europe 21. In June of 2021, CPT Budner assumed command of the 554 MP CO in Stuttgart, Germany. Her company provided physical security of two Combatant Commands Headquarters and the Joint Nuclear Operations Center, combat support to maneuver units throughout Europe, and security operations to Aghan Travelers in Kosovo. Following command, CPT Budner transitioned to the 21 TSC in Kaiserslautern, Germany and led a logistics team in the coordination of US military aid to Ukraine. 

CPT Budner earned her graduate degree from the University of Hawai’i. Her master’s thesis analyzed the return migration of Syrian refuges in southern Türkiye following the end of the civil war. CPT Budner continues her research on borders, migration, and human geography in Southwest Asia.