Major General Taguba was born in Manila, Philippines.  He was commissioned as an Armor officer and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Idaho State University in 1972.  During his Army career, General Taguba commanded Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Staff and Faculty Battalion, Field Artillery School/Center at Fort Sill, OK; Company B, 4th Battalion, 69th Armor at Mainz, Germany; 1st Battalion, 72nd Armor, 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Casey, Korea; 2nd "St. Lo" Brigade, 2nd Armor Division, (Mechanized) at Fort Hood, TX; and the
United States Army Community and Family Support Center in Alexandria,VA.

He has also served as Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Reserve Command; as Assistant Division Commander-Forward, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) and Deputy Commanding General (South), First U.S. Army; and as Deputy Commanding General-Support, Third US Army/ARCENT deployed to Kuwait in support of OIF/OEF.

Major General Taguba is a graduate of the Armor Office Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. College of Naval Command and Staff, and the U.S. Army War College. In addition to his undergraduate degree, he holds an MA degree in public
administration from Webster University, an MA degree in international relations from Salve Regina University, and an MA degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. College of Naval Command and Staff.

He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with six Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Achievement Medal (with one Oak Leaf Cluster), and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

More recently, Major General Taguba headed one of the major investigations into events at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.