Maj. Gen. J. Marcus Hicks is the Commander, Special Operations Command Africa, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. In this role, Maj. Gen. Hicks is responsible for all Special Operations Forces conducting counter insurgency operations and foreign internal defense across the continent of Africa.
Maj. Gen. Hicks received his commission through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the Virginia Military Institute in 1986. His operational flying experience includes special operations assignments in the AC-130H Spectre and AC-130U Spooky aircraft. He has commanded the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, the Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, and the 14th Weapons Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida. He served in staff assignments at headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command. His Pentagon assignments include operations directorates of headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Staff. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Director of Operations, headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command.
A command pilot, Maj. Gen. Hicks has more than 3,000 flying hours.
EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington
1993 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1996 Master of International Relations, Troy State University, Ala.
1998 Master of Military Arts and Sciences, Army Command and Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
1999 Master of Aerospace Arts and Sciences, School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, by correspondence
2006 National Defense Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Washington, D.C.
2010 Senior Executive Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
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ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1987-February 1988, Student, undergraduate pilot training, Williams Air Force Base, Ariz.
2. June 1988-March 1994, Pilot, Instructor and Evaluator, 16th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
3. March 1994-May 1995, Evaluator Pilot, 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
4. May 1995-June 1997, Chief, AC-130 tactics, headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
5. June 1997-June 1998, Student, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
6. June 1998-June 1999, Student, U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
7. July 1999-August 2001, Chief, Doctrine Branch, headquarters U.S. Air Force Directorate for Strategy, Concepts and Doctrine, Arlington, Va.
8. September 2001-June 2002, Executive Officer, Directorate of Aerospace Operations, headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
9. June 2002-April 2003, AC-130U re-qualification and Student, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
10. April 2003-June 2005, Commander, 14th Weapons Squadron, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
11. July 2005-June 2006, National Defense Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Washington, D.C.
12. June 2006-June 2008, Assistant Deputy Directorate for Special Operations, Operations Directorate, the Joint Staff, Arlington, Va.
13. June 2008-April 2009, Commander, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Joint Base Balad, Iraq
14. April 2009-May 2010, Commander, 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan
15. May 2010-August 2011, Director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group, headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
16. August 2011-September 2013, Director, Command, Control, Communications and Cyber, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii
17. September 2013-June 2015, Director of Operations, headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
18. June 2015-October 2015, Director of Operations, headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
19. October 2015-June 2017, Chief of Staff, headquarters USSOCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla.
20. June 2017-present, Commander, Special Operations Command Africa, Stuttgart, Germany
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2006-June 2008, Assistant Deputy Directorate for Special Operations, Operations Directorate, the Joint Staff, Arlington, Va.
2. June 2008-May 2010, Commander, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Joint Base Balad, Iraq
3. August 2011-September 2013, Director, Command, Control, Communications and Cyber, U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii
4. June 2015-October 2015, Director of Operations, headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
5. October 2015-June 2017, Chief of Staff, headquarters USSOCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla.
6. June 2017-June 2019, Commander, Special Operations Command Africa, Stuttgart, Germany
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,000
Aircraft flown: AC-130H/U and C-130E
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
French Legion D'Honneur
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Aug. 26, 1986
First Lieutenant Aug. 26, 1988
Captain Aug. 26, 1990
Major Sept. 1, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2001
Colonel March 1, 2006
Brigadier General Aug. 5, 2011
Major General Oct. 17, 2014
(Current as of November 2019)