Robert W. Cone

Robert W. Cone
LTG Robert W. Cone, Commander III Corps and Fort Hood
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1979-present
Rank	Lieutenant General
Unit	III Corps and Fort Hood, TX
Commands	III Corps and Fort Hood, TX National Training Center and Fort Irwin, CA Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
Combat Operations	Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation New Dawn
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal(2) Legion of Merit(3) Bronze Star Medal

Robert W. Cone is a Lieutenant General in the United States Army and is currently the Commanding General of III Corps and Fort Hood, as well as the Deputy Commanding General for Operations, United States Forces - Iraq. On 25 June 2009, the President of the United States nominated Cone for promotion and appointment to the rank of Lieutenant General. He assumed command of Fort Hood and III Corps on 22 September 2009, deployed to Iraq in February 2010, and assumed duty as the Deputy Commanding General for Operations, United States Forces-Iraq on 13 march 2010. Previously he served as the Special Assistant to General Martin Dempsey, the Commanding General of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in Fort Monroe, VA.

Education

Lieutenant General Cone is a native of Manchester, New Hampshire. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1979 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Armor Branch. Cone earned a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and was inducted in the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. He served as both an instructor and Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department at West Point. He earned a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies in 1998 from the Naval War College and was named “Graduate of Highest Distinction.” Additionally, Cone was a Fellow in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Program.

His military education includes the Naval War College, the Army Command and General Staff College, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and the Armor Officer Basic Course.

Military Career

Lieutenant General Cone has served in a variety of command, staff, and operational assignments in the United States, Germany, and Southwest Asia.

His first duty assignment was in the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, TX, where he served as a Platoon Leader and Troop Executive Officer in the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment (2-1 CAV). In October 1981 Cone became the Aide-de-Camp to the Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Armored Division. He then served as the Battalion Maintenance Officer, Combat Service Support Company Commander, and Tank Company Commander in the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment (1-67 AR).

He attended the Infantry Advanced Course in 1985 followed by graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin. Next, Cone served as an Instructor and Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point.

After selection and completion of Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, he reported to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda, Germany. Cone served as the 2nd Squadron Operations Officer (S-3) during Operation Desert Storm, became the Regimental Operations Officer (S-3) in Novemebr 1991, then the Regimental Executive Officer in March 1993. He left the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the spring of 1994.

Next, Cone moved to Fort Bliss, TX, and became the Regimental Executive Officer of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He assumed command of the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in October 1994. After Squadron Command, he served as the Special Assistant to the Commanding General, Fort Carson, CO, then reported to the Naval War College in Newport, RI, in the summer of 1997.

Cone became the Division Operations Officer (G-3) of the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Hood, TX, in July 1998. He assumed command of the 2d Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, the following year. His brigade deployed to the Republic of Korea as part of Exercise Foal Eagle. Additionally, he led his Brigade in the Army's Division Capstone Exercise in April 2001 as the culminating event in the development of the heavy digital force.

Following Brigade Command, Cone served as the Director of the Joint Advanced Warfighting Program, Institute for Defense Analyses located in Alexandria, VA, where he was responsible for developing joint force concepts and experiments. He participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 as the Director of the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) Joint Lessons Learned Collection Team. Cone was tasked to capture, document, and report real time lessons learned from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. His work led to the establishment of the Joint Center for Operational Analysis at JFCOM. After returning from the Middle East, Cone served as the Director of the JFCOM Joint Center for Operational Analysis in Suffolk, VA.

Commanding General, National Training Center

In September 2004, Cone became the Commanding General of the Army's National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, CA. During his 33-month command, Cone implemented a broad array of changes reorienting training on counterinsurgency operations. In conjunction with the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), Cone established the Joint Center of Operational Excellence in training for the defeat of improvised explosive devices at the NTC.

Operation Enduring Freedom

Cone deployed to Afghanistan in June 2007 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and assumed command of the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A). His 18-month command focused on developing the Afghan National Army and Police. During his tenure, the Afghan National Army expanded from 50,000 troops to close to 80,000 and a broad array of reforms were implemented to address corruption and training in the Afghan National Police.

After returning from Afghanistan, he served as the Special Assistant to the Army Chief of Staff then became the Special Assitant to the Commanding General of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) wher he was responsible for officer and enlisted Soldier Initial Entry Training.

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn

In September 2009, Cone assumed command of III Corps and Fort Hood, TX. In March 2010, Lieutenant General Cone deployed to Iraq wiht the III Corps Headquarters and became the Deputy Commanding General for Operations, the second highest ranking military officer in United States Forces - Iraq. He has responsibilities for operations throughout the entire country including the development and training of fielded Iraqi Security Forces. He oversaw the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom and counterinsurgency operations to Operation New Dawn and stability operations. This transition included the drawdown of servicemembers from roughly 100,000 to less than 50,000 and the transfer of more than 120 bases, the largest single movement of military personnel and equipment since World War II.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Army Achievement Medal, Parachutist Badge,Ranger Tab, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge. Lieutenant General Cone is also the recipient of the Ghazi Wazir Mohammad Akbar Kahn State Medal from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

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Assignment History

From	To	Assignments
Oct 79	Sep 81	Platoon Leader, B Troop, later Executive Officer, A Troop, 2d Squadron, 1st Cavalry, 2d Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas
Oct 81	Jul 82	AidedeCamp to the Assistant Division Commander, 2d Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas
Jul 82	Nov 82	Battalion Maintenance Officer, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor, 2d Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas
Nov 82	Jan 85	Commander, D Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor, 2d Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas
Jan 85	Jun 85	Student, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Fort Benning, Georgia
Jun 85	May 87	Student, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
May 87	Aug 90	Instructor, later Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
Aug 90	Jun 91	Student, United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Jun 91	Nov 91	S3(Operations), 2d Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, V Corps, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany and OPERATION DESERT STORM, Kuwait
Nov 91	Feb 94	Operations Officer, later Executive Officer, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, V Corps, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany
Feb 94	Oct 94	Executive Officer, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, III Corps, Fort Bliss, Texas
Oct 94	Dec 96	Commander, 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, III Corps, Fort Bliss, Texas, later Fort Carson, Colorado
Dec 96	Jul 97	Special Assistant to the Commanding General, Fort Carson, Colorado
Aug 97	Jun 98	Student, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island
Jun 98	Jun 99	G3(Operations), 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Hood, Texas
Jun 99	Jun 01	Commander, 2d Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Hood, Texas
Jul 01	Mar 03	Director, Joint Advanced Warfighting Program, Institute for Defense Analysis, Alexandria, Virginia
Mar 03	Jul 03	Director, Joint Advanced Warfighting Program, Institute for Defense Analyses with duty as Director, Joint Lessons Learned Collection Team, United States Central Command, OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM,Qatar
Jul 03	Aug 04	Director, Joint Center for Lessons Learned, United States Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, Virginia
Sep 04	Jun 07	Commanding General, National Training Center and Fort Irwin, Fort Irwin, California
Jun 07	Dec 08	Commanding General, Combined Security Transition CommandAfghanistan, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan
Dec 08	Feb 09	Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, United States Army, Washington, DC
Feb 09	Sep 09	Special Assistant to the Commanding General, Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia
Sep 09	Present	Commanding General, III Corps and Fort Hood, Fort Hood, Texas

External links

• Facebook Fan Page
• Official United States Forces - Iraq Website
• United States Forces-Iraq Facebook Fan Page
• III Corps and Fort Hood Website
• III Corps Facebook Fan Page