John A. Wilcox, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director, Communications Systems, and Chief Information Officer, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. He is responsible for developing USSOCOM's information technology strategy as well as executing the command's command, control, communications and computer systems acquisition program. Mr. Wilcox is also responsible for operating and maintaining USSOCOM's global network providing support to more than 56,000 special operations personnel.
After enlisting in the Army in 1982, Mr. Wilcox attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps in 1983. He served as a field artillery instructor, signal officer and Director for USSOCOM's C4 Systems. His commands include a signal battalion, a mission support squadron within in the Office of Military Support in Washington, D.C., and a signal brigade in Southwest Asia. He completed his active-duty career as the senior Army adviser for the State of Minnesota, retiring in 2009 with more than 27 years of service.
EDUCATION
1984 Bachelor's degree in business management, University of Maryland, College Park
1991 Master of Business Administration degree, Oklahoma City University, Okla.
1994 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2002 Master's degree in strategic studies, Army War College, Carlisle, Pa.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. 1982 - 1983, infantryman, Fort Benning, Ga.
2. 1983 - 1984, officer candidate and second lieutenant, Fort Benning and Fort Gordon, Ga.
3. 1984 - 1986, force modernization officer and Chief, Requisition Management Branch, 200th Theater Army Materiel Management Center, Zweibrucken, Germany
4. 1986 - 1987, platoon leader, Communications Platoon, E/51st Infantry (Long Range Surveillance), Wiesbaden, Germany
5. 1987 - 1989, Commander, HHS Company, 165th Military Intelligence Battalion, Wiesbaden, Germany
6. 1989 - 1991, instructor, Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, Okla.
7. 1991 - 1993, signal officer, 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.
8. 1993 - 1994, student, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
9. 1994 - 1999, Troop Commander, Operations Squadron, and executive officer, Office of Military Support, Washington, D.C.
10. 1999 - 2001, Commander, 30th Signal Battalion, U.S. Army Hawaii, Fort Shafter, Hawaii
11. 2001 - 2002, student, United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pa.
12. 2002 - 2004, Commander, Mission Support Squadron, Office of Military Support, Washington, D.C.
13. 2004 - 2005, Commander, 160th Signal Brigade, Southwest Asia
14. 2005 - 2008, Director, C4 Systems, USSOCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla.
15. 2008 - 2009, senior Army adviser - Minnesota, 1st U.S. Army, St. Paul, Minn.
16. 2009 - present, Director, Communications Systems (J6), and CIO, USSOCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
(Current as of November 2015)