Stephen Whiting | |
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 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Born | (1967-09-14)14 September 1967 (age 57) Ocean Springs, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch |
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| Years of service | 1989–present |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | |
| Awards | |
| Alma mater | |
| Signature |  |
Whiting testifies before theSenate Armed Services Committee on the state of U.S. Space Command Recorded 29 February 2024 | |
Stephen Newman Whiting (born 14 September 1967) is aUnited States Space Forcegeneral who serves as thecommander of the United States Space Command. He previously served as the firstcommander of Space Operations Command from 2020 to 2024.[1]
Whiting entered theUnited States Air Force in 1989 as a distinguished graduate of theUnited States Air Force Academy. He is a space operations officer, commanding the13th Space Warning Squadron, the614th Air and Space Operations Center andJoint Space Operations Center, the21st Space Wing, and theCombined Force Space Component Command andFourteenth Air Force. He has also served staff assignments at the Air Force headquarters,United States Space Command,United States Strategic Command, theChief of Naval Operations’ Strategic Studies Group, theOffice of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and theAir Force Space Command. 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.
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Whiting was born on 14 September 1967, inOcean Springs, Mississippi.[2] He studied atOcean Springs High School, where he was a class officer and member of the soccer team that won four state championships.[3][4]
In 1989, Whiting received a B.A. degree inaeronautical engineering from theUnited States Air Force Academy 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 theAir Command and Staff College 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 theHarvard Kennedy School in 2017. He has also studied in theSquadron Officer School andJoint Forces Staff College as part of hisprofessional military education.[5]
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Whiting was commissioned into theUnited States Air Force as a second lieutenant on 31 May 1989, as a distinguished graduate from theUnited States Air Force Academy. 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 atLowry Air Force Base,Colorado, as the top graduate and distinguished graduate. From 1990 to 1993, he served on his first operational assignment at the6th Space Warning Squadron atCape Cod Air Force Station inMassachusetts as a crew commander, deputy chief of training, and chief of standardization and evaluation.[5]
As a captain, Whiting served as a radar systems officer at the21st Operations Support Squadron inPeterson Air Force Base, Colorado from 1993 to 1994. After that, he served a year as the executive officer for the21st Operations Group. In 1995, he was reassigned toWashington, D.C. as an Air Force intern while he studied at the George Washington University. From 1997 to 1999, he was stationed atSchriever Air Force Base, Colorado asUHF Follow-On satellite satellite vehicle operator, crew commander, and operations flight commander for the3rd Space Operations Squadron.[5]
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Whiting was promoted to major on 1 July 1999. At this time, he was working as an operations officer for the22nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base. From 2000 to 2002, he studied at theAir Command and Staff College and School of Advanced Air and Space Studies atMaxwell Air Force Base,Alabama. After studying, he was assigned as a regional policy officer at theUnited States Space Command, during which time the combatant command was disestablished, thereby he continuing this role atUnited States Strategic Command West. After that assignment, he was selected to serve as special assistant to the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, AdmiralJames O. Ellis, for a year.[5]
In July 2004, Whiting took command of the13th Space Warning Squadron atClear Air Force Station,Alaska. He relinquished command a year later when he was selected as an Air Force fellow at theRAND Corporation. From June 2006 to June 2008, he served as commander of the614th Air and Space Operations Center and director of theJoint Space Operations Center atVandenberg Air Force Base,California. After his second command tour, he was selected as a Chief of Staff U.S. Air Force Fellow assigned at theChief of Naval Operations' Strategic Studies Group inNewport, Rhode Island.[5]
From August 2009 to June 2011, Whiting served as commander of the21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base. After that, he served as a military assistant to theDeputy Secretary of DefenseAsh Carter, for whom he also served as senior military assistant.[5]
On 8 July 2013, Whiting was promoted to brigadier general and assigned as vice commander of theAir Force Warfare Center. Two years later, he was selected to leadAir Force Space Command'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 theJoint Force Space Component Command (JFSCC) Integration Team.[5]
In December 2017, Whiting took command of theFourteenth Air Force (14 AF) and became deputy commander of JFSCC. In August 2019, JFSCC was inactivated and the U.S. Space Command was reestablished. Consequently, theCombined Force Space Component Command (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 GeneralJohn E. Shaw and became deputy commander of AFSPC.[5]
On 20 December 2019, theUnited States Space Force 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 ofSpace Operations Command (SpOC).[6] On 21 October 2020, SpOC was established and Whiting became its first commander.[7]
In July 2023, Whiting was nominated for promotion to general and appointment ascommander of the United States Space Command.[8][9] He was confirmed on 19 December 2023.[10] On 10 January 2024, he took command of theUnited States Space Command from GeneralJames H. Dickinson.[11] In February 2024, he released his strategic vision as commander of the combatant command.[12][13]
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.[14][15]
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Whiting is the recipient of the following awards:[5]
 | Command Space Operations Badge |
 | Basic Cyberspace Operator Badge |
 | Office of the Secretary of Defense Badge |
 | United States Space Command Badge |
  | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with two bronzeoak leaf clusters |
 | Defense Superior Service Medal |
 | Legion of Merit with two bronze oak leaf cluster |
 | Defense Meritorious Service Medal |
 | Meritorious Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster |
 | Air Force Commendation Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster |
 | Air Force Achievement Medal |
.svg) | Joint Meritorious Unit Award |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four bronze oak leaf clusters |
 | Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with one bronze oak leaf cluster |
 | Combat Readiness Medal |
  | National Defense Service Medal with one bronzeservice star |
 | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
 | Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon |
  | Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters |
 | Air Force Training Ribbon |
 | French National Order of Merit (Knight)[16] |
| Rank | Branch | Date |
|---|---|---|
 Second Lieutenant | Air Force | 31 May 1989 |
 First Lieutenant | 31 May 1991 | |
 Captain | 31 May 1993 | |
 Major | 1 July 1999 | |
 Lieutenant Colonel | 1 March 2002 | |
 Colonel | 1 March 2006 | |
 Brigadier General | 8 July 2013 | |
 Major General | 2 May 2017 | |
 Lieutenant General | Space Force | 21 October 2020 |
 General | 10 January 2024 |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of the21st Space Wing 2009–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice Commander of theAir Force Warfare Center 2013–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Director of Integrated Air, Space, Cyberspace and ISR Operations of theAir Force Space Command 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Commander of theJoint Force Space Component Command 2017–2019 | Command redesignated |
| Preceded by | Commander of the14th Air Force 2017–2019 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Commander of theCombined Force Space Component Command 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Deputy Commander of theAir Force Space Command, laterUnited States Space Force 2019–2020 | Command redesignated |
| New office | Commander of Space Operations Command 2020–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of the United States Space Command 2024–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Commander ofU.S. Strategic Command | Order of precedence of the United States as Commander of U.S. Space Command | Succeeded byas Commander ofU.S. Cyber Command |
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