Brig. Gen. Kayle M. Stevens is the Deputy Commander, Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Brig. Gen. Stevens is responsible for the operations of more than 44,000 personnel conducting worldwide operations.
Sixteenth Air Force Airmen deliver multisource intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products, applications, capabilities and resources. Sixteenth Air Force includes the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, 55th Wing, 67th Cyberspace Wing, 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, 319th RW, 363rd ISRW, 480th ISRW, 557th Weather Wing, 688th CW, Air Force Technical Applications Center, and all U.S. Air Force cryptologic operations.
Brig. Gen. Stevens is a graduate of Wellesley College and received her commission through Reserve Officer Training Corps at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a career intelligence officer with extensive joint experience at the national and tactical levels in special operations forces intelligence, distributed multi-intelligence operations, surveillance and reconnaissance units, and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. She is an Air Force Intern Program graduate and has served in a variety of staff assignments to include the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Chief of Staff Commander’s Action Group, the National Security Agency, and as the Junior Military Assistant for the Secretary of Defense. Brig. Gen. Stevens has deployed several times as a SOF ISR Mission Commander executing ISR and leading joint personnel deployed around the globe supporting manned and unmanned ISR missions in support of Air Force Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command missions. She served as the J2 Deputy Director for the International Security Assistance Force SOF Task Forces in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Prior to assuming her current position, the general was the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Arts, International Relations, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
1999 Intelligence Applications Officer Course, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
2002 Airborne Cryptologic Operator Training, Offutt AFB, Neb.
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Master of Arts, Organizational Management, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
2008 Air Force Intern Program, Air Command and Staff College, Washington, D.C., by correspondence
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 National War College, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 1999–September 2000, Intelligence Fundamentals and Applications Courses, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
2. September 2000–September 2001, Watch Officer and Chief, Mission Management, 303rd Intelligence Squadron, Osan Air Base, South Korea
3. September 2001–September 2003, Tactical Surveillance Imagery Centre Mildenhall and Chief, Mission Management, 488th Intelligence Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom
4. September 2003–December 2004, Executive Officer to the Director of Plans and Programs, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
5. December 2004–July 2005, Space and Missile Intelligence Officer, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
6. July 2005–June 2007, Air Force Intern Program, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
7. June 2007–June 2008, Deputy Chief of Force Readiness and Deployments Division, Directorate of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
8. June 2008–June 2010, Commander, Detachment 1, 25th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron, Cannon AFB, N.M.
9. August 2009–December 2009, Mission Commander, Detachment 5, 25th Expeditionary Intelligence Detachment-Afghanistan, Bagram AB, Afghanistan
10. June 2010–August 2011, Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, Lackland AFB, Texas
11. August 2011–July 2011, Deputy Chief, Analysis and Production, National Security Agency, Central Security Service, San Antonio, Texas
12. July 2011–May 2013, Deputy Group Commander, 543rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, Lackland AFB, Texas
13. November 2012–April 2013, Deputy J2, International Security Forces-Afghanistan, Special Operations, Kabul, Afghanistan
14. June 2013–June 2015, Squadron Commander, data masked unit, 25th Air Force, Lackland AFB, Texas
15. June 2015–June 2016, Student, National War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
16. June 2016–June 2017, Junior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2017–June 2018, Director Military Partnerships, Partner Engagement, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, McLean, Va.
18. June 2018–June 2020, Commander 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
19. June 2020–May 2022, Commander, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
20. May 2022–June 2023, Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
21. June 2023–present, Deputy Commander, Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2016–June 2017, Junior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
2. June 2017–June 2018, Director Military Partnerships, Partner Engagement, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Liberty Crossing, McLean, Va., as a colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
(Current as of April 2024)