Stephen N. Whiting

Stephen Newman Whiting (born 14 September 1967) is a United States Space Force general who serves as the commander of the United States Space Command. He previously served as the first commander of Space Operations Command from 2020 to 2024.

Whiting entered the United States Air Force in 1989 as a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He is a space operations officer, commanding the 13th Space Warning Squadron, the 614th Air and Space Operations Center and Joint Space Operations Center, the 21st Space Wing, and the Combined Force Space Component Command and Fourteenth Air Force. He has also served staff assignments at the Air Force headquarters, United States Space Command, United States Strategic Command, the Chief of Naval Operations’ Strategic Studies Group, the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Air 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.

Early life and education

Whiting was born on 14 September 1967, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He studied at Ocean Springs High School, 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 from the United 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 the Air Command and Staff College and airpower strategy from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, both at Air University. He has also attended the Senior Executives in National and International Security program of the Harvard Kennedy School in 2017. He has also studied in the Squadron Officer School and Joint Forces Staff College as part of his professional military education.

Military career Air Force

Whiting was commissioned into the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant on 31 May 1989, as a distinguished graduate from the United 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 at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, as the top graduate and distinguished graduate. From 1990 to 1993, he served on his first operational assignment at the 6th Space Warning Squadron at Cape Cod Air Force Station in Massachusetts as a crew commander, deputy chief of training, and chief of standardization and evaluation. 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 United States Space Command 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

+ 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

Writings