Colonel Geoffrey Steeves is the Commander of the 509th Operations Group at Whiteman AFB, MO. He is responsible for the operational combat readiness of the world’s only stealth bomber fleet. He also trains warriors and develops future leaders who fly and support 20 B-2 bombers in order to execute the wing's mission of nuclear operations and global strike...anytime, anywhere.
Col Steeves received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 2001 and has served in a variety of operational assignments in B-1B and B-2A bombers. He was an Olmsted Scholar in Brazil and an Air Force Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. He is fluent in Portuguese and a designated Foreign Area Officer.
He has served at the squadron, sub-unified command, and the Headquarters Air Force levels. His staff assignments include policy development at United States Forces Korea headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and capability development for Air Force Futures, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
2002 Master of Arts in Economics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
2011 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2012 Associates Degree, Portuguese Language, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California
2014 Doctorate in Economics, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
2016 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia
2021 Innovation Certificate, University of Michigan, Ross School of Business
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2001–August 2002, Graduate Student, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
2. August 2002–December 2003, Student Pilot, T-37 / T-38, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
3. December 2003–October 2004, Student, B-1B Initial Qualification Training, 28th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
4. October 2004–October 2005, B-1B Pilot, 9th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
5. October 2005–April 2007, T-38 Pilot, Chief of Wing Scheduling, Chief of Wing Training, 509th Operational Support Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
6. April 2007–November 2007, B-2 Initial Qualification Student, 394th Combat Training Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
7. November 2007–November 2010, Evaluator Pilot, B-2, Assistant Director of Operations, Flight Commander; Chief of Nuclear Operations; 13th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
8. November 2010–September 2011, Evaluator Pilot, B-2, 509th Bomb Wing Nuclear Executive Manager, 509th Operational Support Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
9. October 2011–June 2012, Olmsted Scholar, Defense Language Institute, The Presidio of Monterey, California
10. July 2012–December 2014, Olmsted Scholar, Florianópolis, Brazil
11. January 2015–November 2016, Deputy Division Chief, United States Forces Korea United States Policy Division (J-5), Yongsan Garrison, Republic of Korea
12. December 2016–August 2017, Director of Operations, 13th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
13. September 2017–March 2018, Commander, 394th Combat Training Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
14. April 2018–June 2019, Commander, 13th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
15. July 2019–June 2020, Air Force National Laboratory Technical Fellowship Program, Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M.
16. July 2020–July 2021, Team Leader-Coach, Capability Development Center, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
17. July 2021–May 2022, Protection and Logistics Portfolio Manager, Capability Development Center, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
18. June 2022–present, Commander, 509th Operations Group, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2015 – November 2016, Deputy Division Chief, United States Forces Korea United States Policy Division (J-5), Yongsan Garrison, Republic of Korea, as a major and lieutenant colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 2,300 hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, B-1B, B-2A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with 'N' device
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 2001
First Lieutenant May 2003
Captain May 2005
Major January 2011
Lieutenant Colonel December 2015
Colonel February 2021
LANGUAGES
Portuguese, fluent Spanish, functional Japanese, basic
PUBLICATIONS
Steeves, G.M., Petterini, F.C., Moura, G.V., 2015. The interiorization of Brazilian violence, policing, and economic growth. EconomiA 16 (3), 359-375.
Steeves, G.M., 2017. Toward Strategic Nuclear Funding: The USSOCOM Model. Air University, Strategic Studies Quarterly. Vol 11, No.2, Summer 2017.
Steeves, G.M., da Costa Jr., N., 2017. Shareholder response to mass shootings in the United States firearms industry. Cogent Economics and Finance. Vol 5, No. 1.
Steeves, G.M., 2020. Ready, Set, Getting to Go: US Nuclear Test Readiness Posture. Air University, Strategic Studies Quarterly. Vol. 14, No. 3, Fall 2020.
(Current as of May 2024)