Robert W. Cone

Robert W. Cone
Cone in June 2011
Birth name	Robert William Cone
Born	March 19, 1957 Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Died	September 19, 2016(2016-09-19) (aged 59) Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1979–2014
Rank	General
Unit	United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
Commands	III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas National Training Center and Fort Irwin, California Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
Combat Operations	Persian Gulf War Operation Desert Storm Global War on Terrorism Operation Enduring Freedom Iraq War Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation New Dawn
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Defense Superior Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star Medal

Robert William Cone (March 19, 1957 – September 19, 2016) was a United States Army four-star general who last served as the commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. He assumed command of TRADOC on 29 April 2011. He previously served as the commander of Fort Hood and III Corps on 22 September 2009 where he also deployed to Iraq in February 2010, and served as the Deputy Commanding General for Operations, United States Forces – Iraq, until February 2011. Prior to that, he served as the Special Assistant to the Commanding General of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe, VA. He retired in 2014.

Personal life and education

Cone was a native of Manchester, New Hampshire, born in 1957. He graduated from Memorial High School, Manchester, NH in 1975. He graduated from the United States Military Academy 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

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.

He was diagnosed with stage four metastatic prostate cancer in 2011, four months following his promotion to four star general and underwent clinical trial therapy. Cone and his wife Jill had moved to Shawano, Wisconsin in 2014. Cone died at a hospital on September 19, 2016 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on December 9, 2016.

Career

Cone served in a variety of command, staff, and operational assignments in the United States, Germany, and Southwest Asia. His first duty assignment was with the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, 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).

Cone 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 the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. After selection and completion of U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Cone reported to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse 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 November 1991, then the Regimental Executive Officer in March 1993. He left the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the spring of 1994.

In his next assignment, Cone moved to Fort Bliss, Texas, and became the Regimental Executive Officer of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Brave Rifles). 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, Colorado, then reported to the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island in 1997.

Cone became the Division Operations Officer (G-3) of the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Hood, Texas, in July 1998. He assumed command of the 2d Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, the following year. His brigade deployed to South Korea as part of Exercise Foal Eagle. 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, Virginia, 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, Virginia.

Commanding General, National Training Center

In September 2004, Cone became the Commanding General of the U.S. Army's National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California. 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 (IED) at the NTC.

Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan

Cone deployed to Afghanistan in June 2007 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and assumed command of the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan. 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 Assistant to the Commanding General of the Army's United States Army Training and Doctrine Command where he was responsible for officer and enlisted soldier Initial Entry Training.

Commanding General, III Corps and Fort Hood

In September 2009, Cone assumed command of III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas. In March 2010, Lieutenant General Cone deployed to Iraq with III Corps Headquarters and became the Deputy Commanding General for Operations, the second highest-ranking military officer in United States Forces – Iraq until 8 February 2011. He had responsibility 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. General Cone returned to Ft. Hood on 9 February 2011. He then was promoted to the four-star rank of General and took command of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command in April 2011.

Awards and decorations

Basic Parachutist Badge

Ranger Tab

Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

III Corps Combat Service Identification Badge

11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia

6 Overseas Service Bars

Defense Distinguished Service Medal

Army Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster

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

Army Achievement Medal

Joint Meritorious Unit Award

Meritorious Unit Commendation

Superior Unit Award

National Defense Service Medal with one bronze Service Star

Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze Service Star

Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one service star

Iraq Campaign Medal with one service star

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Army Service Ribbon

Army Overseas Service Ribbon

NATO Medal for service with ISAF

Ghazi Wazir Mohammad Akbar Kahn State Medal (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan)

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Dates of rank

Promotions

Rank	Date
General	April 29, 2011
Lieutenant General	September 23, 2009
Major General
Brigadier General	September 2004
Colonel	Nov 1999
Lieutenant Colonel	Dec 1995
Major	Aug 1989
Captain	July 1983
First Lieutenant	June 1981
Second Lieutenant	June 6, 1979

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	Apr 11	Commanding General, III Corps and Fort Hood, Fort Hood, Texas
Feb 10	Feb 11	Deputy Commanding General of Operations, United States Forces, Iraq
Apr 11	Mar 14	Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

External links

• Official United States Forces - Iraq Website
• Official III Corps and Fort Hood Website
• Official U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Website
• Cone's presentation at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library on November 11, 2013
• Appearances on C-SPAN