Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart currently serves as a Staff Officer to Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.
Maj. Gen. Stewart was commissioned in 1992 through ROTC after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has earned a master’s degree in military studies and a master’s degree in operational planning, both from the Marine Corps University, as well as a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. Additionally, Maj. Gen. Stewart is a graduate of the School of Advanced Warfighting at the Marine Corps University.
He has commanded at multiple levels, including three times as a Wing Commander and twice in combat, first as Commander of the 362nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at Balad Air Base, Iraq, and again as Commanding General of NATO Train Advise Assist Command-Air in Kabul, Afghanistan, and most recently, he served as Commander of 19th Air Force. In addition, he served as the Wing Commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, which supports the U-2 and Global Hawk platforms, and as the first commander of NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance Force, which supports NATO’s Global Hawk and ISR platforms, at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy.
Maj. Gen. Stewart’s staff duties include the Joint Staff in the J-5 as the Assistant Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs for the Middle East, and in USAFE as the Deputy USAFE A3/10. Additionally, he has completed staff tours at the 19th Air Force and at Air Combat Command where he served as the Chief of the Fighter-Bomber Assignments Branch, and later as the Executive Officer to the Commander.
His specialized NATO experience includes commanding NATO’s air advisors in Afghanistan; commanding NATO’s Global Hawk force in Italy; and, most recently, serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Employment (J2/J3/J10/Cyber) at SHAPE, NATO’s military headquarters, in Belgium. For his service to the alliance, NATO’s Secretary General presented him with the NATO Meritorious Service Medal.
Maj. Gen. Stewart has served as an instructor and evaluator pilot in multiple aircraft and holds the rating of command pilot with more than 2,600 hours in the F-15C, A-29, U-2, MC-12, AT-38, T-38, T-37, and RQ-4. He has over 600 hours of combat time and has flown 168 combat missions. Additionally, he has extensive outside-the-wire ground experience while serving as the USAF’s top air advisor in Afghanistan and is entitled to wear the Advanced Air Advisor tab.
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Management, The Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
1998 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2005 Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, Va.
2005 Master of Military Studies, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Va.
2006 School of Advanced Warfighting, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Va.
2006 Master of Operational Studies, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Va.
2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
2011 Master of Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1993–June1994, Student Pilot, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
2. June 1994–June 1995, F-15C Student Pilot, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
3. June 1995–November 1997, F-15C Pilot, Electronic Combat Pilot, 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
4. November 1997–May 1999, AT-38 Instructor Pilot, Chief, Weapons and Tactics, Flight Commander, 435th Flying Training Squadron Randolph AFB, Texas
5. May 1999–May 2000, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, 19th Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas
6. May 2000–August 2003, Flight Commander, 18th Operations Group Chief, Stan Eval, F-15C Evaluator Pilot, Kadena Air Base, Japan
7. August 2003–August 2004, Chief, Fighter-Bomber Assignments Branch, Air Combat Command Headquarters, Langley AFB, Va.
8. August 2004–August 2005, Student, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, Va.
9. August 2005–October 2006, Student, School of Advanced Warfighting, Quantico, Va.
10. October 2006–October 2008, Operations Officer, 1st Operations Support Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
11. October 2008–January 2009, Executive Officer to the Commander, ACC, Langley AFB, Va.
12. January 2009–June 2010, Commander, 362nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Joint Base Balad, Iraq
13. July 2010–July 2011, Student, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, Pa.
14. July 2011–May 2012, Vice Wing Commander, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale AFB, Calif.
15. May 2012–June 2014, Wing Commander, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale AFB, Calif.
16. June 2014–June 2015, Assistant Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs for the Middle East, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J-5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2015–June 2016, Senior Executive Assistant (EA) to the Director of Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J-5) on the Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. June 2016–May 2017, Deputy to the Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence, and Nuclear Integration for the U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (A3/10), Ramstein AB, Germany
19. May 2017–June 2018, Commanding General, NATO Train Advise and Assist Command-Air and 438th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander, Kabul, Afghanistan
20. September 2018–July 2020, Commanding General, NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force, Sigonella, Italy
21. July 2020-August 2022, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Employment, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Belgium
22. August 2022–May 2023, Commander, 19th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
23. May 2023–present, Staff Officer, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. 2014–2015, Assistant Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs for the Middle East, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J-5), Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
2. 2015–2016, Senior Executive Assistant to the Director of Strategy, Plans, and Policy on the Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
3. 2017–2018, Commanding General, NATO Train Advise and Assist Command-Air and 438th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander, Kabul, Afghanistan, as a brigadier general
4. 2018–2020, Commanding General, NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force, Sigonella, Italy, as a brigadier general and major general
5. 2020-2022, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Employment, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Belgium, as a major general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight Hours: more than 2,600, more than 600 combat hours
Aircraft Qualified in with Military Certification: F-15C, A-29, U-2, MC-12, AT-38, T-38C and RQ-4
Additional Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, C-12, MD-530 and C-208
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with combat “C” device and three oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
NATO Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
AF Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and three oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal
(Current as of February 2024)