Stephen Newman Whiting (born 14 September 1967) is a

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space force branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces, armed forces of the United States and one of the eight uniformed services of the Unite ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who serves as the commander of the United States Space Command. He previously served as the first

commander of Space Operations Command The commander of Space Operations Command is a Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general who leads the field command that provide space forces to the United States Space Command and supports other unified combatant commands. A senio ...

from 2020 to 2024. Whiting entered the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

in 1989 as a distinguished graduate of the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

. He is a space operations officer, commanding the

13th Space Warning Squadron The 13th Space Warning Squadron (13SWS) is a missile warning unit assigned to the United States Space Force and located at Clear Space Force Station 5 miles (8 km) south of Anderson, Alaska Mission The primary mission of the 13th SWS is t ...

, the

614th Air and Space Operations Center The 614th Air Operations Center (614 AOC) was a space operations center of the United States Space Force's Space Operations Command. It served as the core of the Combined Space Operations Center, as well as serving as the Space Force's primary fo ...

and

Joint Space Operations Center The Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) is a U.S.–led multinational space operations center that provides command and control of space forces for the United States Space Command under the United States Space Force component field command ...

, the

21st Space Wing The 21st Wing (21 WG) is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. It was established in 1953 as the 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing, deploying to Europe to join NATO's Allied Command Europe, before being inactivated in 1958. It reactivated i ...

, and the

Combined Force Space Component Command The Combined Force Space Component Command (CFSCC) was a U.S.-led multinational subordinate command of United States Space Command. It was responsible for tactical control of American and multinational space forces. The CFSCC's mission was to "pla ...

and

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

. He has also served staff assignments at the Air Force headquarters,

United States Space Command United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense, responsible for military operations in outer space, specifically all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) and greater ...

United States Strategic Command The United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weap ...

, the Chief of Naval Operations’ Strategic Studies Group, the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the

Air Force Space Command An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

. Whiting transferred to the Space Force in 2020. Whiting transferred to the Space Force in 2020 and became the first commander of Space Operations Command. In 2024, he was promoted to general and took command of the U.S. Space Command.

Early life and education

Whiting was born on 14 September 1967, in

Ocean Springs, Mississippi Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately east of Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi and west of Gautier, Mississippi, Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula metropolitan area. The population was 18,429 at th ...

. He studied at

Ocean Springs High School Ocean Springs High School is an International Baccalaureate, IB-certified public high school in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The school serves students in Educational stages, grades ninth grade, 9–twelfth grade, 12 and is part of the Ocean S ...

, where he was a class officer and member of the soccer team that won four state championships. In 1989, Whiting received a B.A. degree in

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

from the

as a distinguished graduate. He then received an M.A. in administrative sciences (organizational management) in 1997 from the George Washington University. He also has M.A. degrees in military operational arts and sciences from the

Air Command and Staff College The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air Un ...

and airpower strategy from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. He has also attended the Senior Executives in National and International Security program of the

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

in 2017. He has also studied in the

Squadron Officer School Squadron Officer School (SOS), is a 5.5-week-long Professional Military Education (PME) course for U.S. Air Force and Space Force Captains, Department of the Air Force Civilian (DAFC) equivalents and International Officers. It fulfills the ...

and

Joint Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...

as part of his

professional military education Professional Military Education (PME) is the professional training, development, and schooling of military personnel. It encompasses many schools, universities, and training programs designed to foster leadership in military service members. Furthe ...

Military career

Air Force

Whiting was commissioned into the

as a second lieutenant on 31 May 1989, as a distinguished graduate from the

. First assigned to UPT Columbus AFB MS. (14th Flying training squadron), failed out in Nov 89. He was then reassigned to Lowry AFB CO. A year later, he finished undergraduate space training at

Lowry Air Force Base Lowry Air Force Base (Lowry Field from 1938–1948) is a former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training base during World War II and a United States Air Force (USAF) training base during the Cold War. From 1955-1958, it served as the i ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, as the top graduate and distinguished graduate. From 1990 to 1993, he served on his first operational assignment at the

6th Space Warning Squadron The 6th Space Warning Squadron is located at Cape Cod Space Force Station, in Sagamore, Massachusetts, United States. It operates the PAVE PAWS radar to watch for missiles launched toward North America. The squadron is assigned to Space Delta 4. ...

Cape Cod Air Force Station Cape Cod Space Force Station is a United States Space Force station located in the northwest corner of Joint Base Cape Cod, United States, on Flatrock Hill in Bourne, Massachusetts. Cape Cod Space Force Station began construction in 1976 as Cape ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

as a crew commander, deputy chief of training, and chief of standardization and evaluation. As a captain, Whiting served as a radar systems officer at the

21st Operations Support Squadron The 21st Operations Support Squadron (21 OSS) is a United States Space Force unit. Assigned to Space Operations Command's Space Delta 2, it provides operations support to the delta by providing weather information, coordinating the delta's squad ...

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home t ...

, Colorado from 1993 to 1994. After that, he served a year as the executive officer for the

21st Operations Group Mission Delta 2 (MD2) is the United States Space Force's space domain awareness Space Delta, delta, headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. Mission Delta 2 tracks and monitors all human made objects from low Earth orbit to geosync ...

. In 1995, he was reassigned to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

as an Air Force intern while he studied at the George Washington University. From 1997 to 1999, he was stationed at

Schriever Air Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs in E ...

, Colorado as UHF Follow-On satellite satellite vehicle operator, crew commander, and operations flight commander for the

3rd Space Operations Squadron The 3rd Space Operations Squadron (3 SOPS) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for conducting on-orbit operations. It is located at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. Mission 3rd SOPS was reactivated on June 19, 2020, to conduct ...

. Whiting was promoted to major on 1 July 1999. At this time, he was working as an operations officer for the

22nd Space Operations Squadron The 22d Space Operations Squadron is a satellite control unit of the United States Space Force. It is part of Space Delta 6Theresa Hitchen(17 May 2023) Space Force ground control operators press for 'absolutely critical' network upgradesOvervie ...

at Schriever Air Force Base. From 2000 to 2002, he studied at the

and School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. After studying, he was assigned as a regional policy officer at the

, during which time the combatant command was disestablished, thereby he continuing this role at

West. After that assignment, he was selected to serve as special assistant to the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, Admiral James O. Ellis, for a year. In July 2004, Whiting took command of the

Clear Air Force Station Clear Space Force Station is a United States Space Force radar station for detecting incoming ICBMs and submarine-launched ballistic missiles to NORAD's command center and to provide Space Surveillance data to the United States Space Force. Cle ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. He relinquished command a year later when he was selected as an Air Force fellow at the

RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the ...

. From June 2006 to June 2008, he served as commander of the

and director of the

Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg may refer to: * Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name * USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in Key West, Florida * Vandenberg S ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. After his second command tour, he was selected as a Chief of Staff U.S. Air Force Fellow assigned at the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

' Strategic Studies Group in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. From August 2009 to June 2011, Whiting served as commander of the

at Peterson Air Force Base. After that, he served as a military assistant to the

Deputy Secretary of Defense The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the s ...

Ash Carter Ashton Baldwin Carter (September 24, 1954 – October 24, 2022) was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the B ...

, for whom he also served as senior military assistant. Cyber Defense Correlation Cell for Space stands up

On 8 July 2013, Whiting was promoted to brigadier general and assigned as vice commander of the Air Force Warfare Center. Two years later, he was selected to lead

's (AFSPC) Space Enterprise Vision Team. After that, he was assigned as director of integrated air, space, and cyberspace and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance of AFSPC. In 2017, he also served as the lead for the Joint Force Space Component Command (JFSCC) Integration Team. In December 2017, Whiting took command of the

(14 AF) and became deputy commander of JFSCC. In August 2019, JFSCC was inactivated and the U.S. Space Command was reestablished. Consequently, the

(CFSCC) was stood up and he took command of the new unit. Three months later, in November 2019, he relinquished command of CFSCC and 14AF to Major General John E. Shaw and became deputy commander of AFSPC.

Space Force

On 20 December 2019, the

was established and AFSPC was temporarily designated as Headquarters, United States Space Force. Whiting thus continued to serve as deputy commander of Headquarters, United States Space Force. In August 2020, he was one of the first general officers nominated to transfer to the Space Force and promoted to general. He was also selected to serve as the first commander of

Space Operations Command Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force's space warfare, space operations, cyber warfare, cyber operations, and military intelligence, intelligence field command. Headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado ...

(SpOC). On 21 October 2020, SpOC was established and Whiting became its first commander. In July 2023, Whiting was nominated for promotion to general and appointment as commander of the United States Space Command. He was confirmed on 19 December 2023. On 10 January 2024, he took command of the

from General James H. Dickinson. In February 2024, he released his strategic vision as commander of the combatant command.

Personal life

Whiting is the son of late Mr. and Mrs. Larry Whiting. His father was a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel. He married Tammy Lynn Preslar on 1 June 1989.

Awards and decorations

Whiting is the recipient of the following awards:

Dates of promotion

Writings

* *

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Whiting, Stephen Living people Place of birth missing (living people) United States Air Force Academy alumni George Washington University alumni Air Command and Staff College alumni School of Advanced Air and Space Studies alumni United States Air Force generals United States Space Force generals Office of the Chief of Space Operations personnel 1967 births People from Ocean Springs, Mississippi Military personnel from Mississippi Aviators from Mississippi Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)