Joseph Thomas Palastra Jr. (10 November 1931 – 3 March 2015) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commanding General, United States Army Forces Command from 1986 to 1989.

A native of New Hampshire,[2] Palastra began his career as a second lieutenant after graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1954.

His other key assignments include Commanding General, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) and Fort Polk, Louisiana; Chief of Staff, Eighth United States Army/United States Forces Korea; and Deputy Commander in Chief/Chief of Staff, United States Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.

Palastra has also commanded the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served as Deputy Director for Estimates in the Defense Intelligence Agency.

[3][1] This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army