Commander Biography
LIEUTENANT COLONEL STEPHEN M. COX
Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Cox is the Commander and Professor of Aerospace Studies of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 017 at Troy University. He serves as head of the university’s Aerospace Studies department, instructs senior and sophomore courses on national security affairs and airpower history, supervises five faculty and staff members, and has overall responsibility for training and mentoring more than 60 students preparing to become Air Force or Space Force officers.
Prior to his current assignment, Lieutenant Colonel Cox served as Strategic Planner/Strategist on the Chief of the National Guard Bureau’s CAG where he helped develop policy and strategy and provided confidential think tank/red team analysis to inform 4-star decisions.
Lt Col Cox is a career aviator who began his military career in 1996 after enlisting as an Airborne Surveillance Technician aboard the E-3 AWACS. He received his commission through OTS at Maxwell AFB in 2000. In 2010, Lt Col Cox joined the Air National Guard. He has served in various operational and staff assignments and has over 560 days deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn and Operation River Watch II.
EDUCATION:
1995 Bachelor of Science Aeronautical Administration, St. Louis University
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
2010 Air Command and Staff College, Correspondence
2014 Masters of Arts Homeland Security, American Military University
ASSIGNMENTS:
| Aug 2000- Oct 2001 | Student, Joint Undergraduate Navigator Training, VT-10, NAS, Pensacola, FL. |
| Oct 2001- May 2002 | Student, Electronic Warfare Officer Training, 563 FTS, Randolph AFB, TX |
| May 2002- Aug 2003 | Student, B-1 Initial Qualification Course, 28th BS Dyess AFB, TX |
| Aug 2003- Mar 2006 | B-1 WSO, Unit Deployment Manager and Scheduler, 37th BS, Ellsworth AFB, TX. |
| Mar 2006- Jun 2006 | Student, T-43A Instructor Qualification Course, 563 FTS, Randolph AFB, TX. |
| Jun 2006- Feb 2007 | Instructor EWO/ CSO and Course Director, 563 FTS, Randolph AFB, TX. |
| Feb 2007- Jul 2008 | Instructor EWO/ CSO and Flt CC, 563 FTS, Randolph AFB, TX. |
| Jul 2008- Nov 2010 | Instructor EWO/ CSO Chief of Training, Chief of Staff/ Eval, 563 FTS, Randolph AFB, TX. |
| Nov 2010- Jan 2013 | RC-26 Instructor MSO & Scheduler, 147 RW, Ellington JRB, TX. |
| Jan 2013- Nov 2014 | Policy and Joint Plans Staff Officer, HQ 1st AF, Tyndall AFB, FL. |
| Nov 2014- Oct 2015 | Deputy Division Chief, Plans, HQ 1st AF, Tyndall AFB, FL. |
| Oct 2015- Jul 2018 | Strategic Planner, Chief Travel Branch, NGB- CAG, Pentagon, Washington, DC. |
| Jul 2018- Present | Commander, AFROTC Detachment 017, Troy University, AL. |
FLIGHT INFORMATION:
| Rating | Senior Navigator |
| Flight Hours | More than 2,800 Hours ; 138 Combat Missions |
| Aircrafts Flown | E-3, T-34, T-39, T-1, T-43. B-1B, RC-26 |
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
| Meritorious Service Medal with two devices |
| Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters |
| Aerial Achievement Medal with one device |
| Air Force Commendation Medal with one device |
| Navy Commendation Medal |
| Air Force Achievement Medal |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor with 8 devices |
| AF Good Conduct Medal with one device |
| Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal |
| Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one device |
| Iraq Campaign Medal with one device |
| Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
| Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
| Air Force Overseas Ribbon (Short) |
| AF Longevity Service with one device |
| Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 1 'M' Device |
| Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with one device |
| AF Training Ribbon with one device |
| NATO Medal (Non-Article 5) |
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
| Second Lieutenant | Aug 18, 2000 |
| First Lieutenant | Aug 18, 2002 |
| Captain | Aug 18, 2004 |
| Major | Jul 1, 2010 |
| Lt Col | Nov 18, 2015 |
(Current as of August 2020)