U.S. Air Force general
Anthony James Cotton [ 1] is a United States Air Force four-star general who serves as the 12th commander of the United States Strategic Command since 9 December 2022. He most recently served as the commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command from 27 August 2021 to 7 December 2022, having served as the deputy commander from 2019 to 2021.[ 2] Prior to that, he was the president of the Air University .[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
Cotton is from Dudley, North Carolina , where he graduated from Southern Wayne High School in 1981. He is the son of James H. and Amy K. Cotton; his father was a chief master sergeant in the Air Force.[ 7] Anthony Cotton was commissioned through ROTC at North Carolina State University in 1986, where he also earned a bachelor's degree in political science.[ 7] Prior to his AFGSC service, Cotton commanded the 20th Air Force , served as deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office , and was senior military assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence .[ 8]
In June 2022, Cotton was nominated for reappointment as general and assignment as commander of the United States Strategic Command .[ 9] [ 10] [ 11] He appeared for a hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on 15 September 2022[ 12] and was confirmed by voice vote of the full Senate on 29 September 2022.[ 10] He assumed command on 9 December 2022.[ 13] [ 14]
^ "97th Annual Commencement" (PDF) . North Carolina State University. 1986. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021 .
^ "General Anthony J. Cotton" . United States Air Force . August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2022 . This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
^ Harper, Brad (12 December 2019). "Air University leader has been nominated for Air Global Strike Command position in Louisiana" . Montgomery Advertiser . Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2020 .
^ Ramsouer, Tammie (15 February 2018). "Lt. Gen. Cotton assumes command of Air University" . Maxwell Air Force Base . Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2020 .
^ "PN741 – Lt. Gen. Anthony J. Cotton – Air Force, 117th Congress (2021–2022)" . U.S. Congress . Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021 .
^ Cohen, Rachel (24 June 2021). "Cotton nominated to run Air Force's nuclear enterprise at pivotal time" . Military Times . Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2021 .
^ a b Calkins, Christopher (30 August 2011). "Cotton: Stay sharp; Our mission demands it" . 45th Space Wing Public Affairs, Air Force Space Command. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021 .
^ Leishman, Angeline (28 June 2021). "Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton Nominated to Lead AF Global Strike Command" . executivegov.com . Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021 .
^ "Nominee Says Strategic Command Must Deal With Changing World" . U.S. Department of Defense . Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023 .
^ a b "PN2229 — Gen. Anthony J. Cotton — Air Force, 117th Congress (2021-2022)" . U.S. Congress . 29 September 2022. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022 .
^ "General Officer Announcements" . U.S. Department of Defense . 8 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022 .
^ "Nomination - Cotton" . U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services . 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022 .
^ United States Strategic Command [@US_STRATCOM] (3 December 2022). "One week from today, @USNavy Admiral Charles A. Richard will relinquish command of #USSTRATCOM to @usairforce General Anthony J. Cotton" (Tweet ). Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter .
^ Garamone, Jim (9 December 2022). "Stratcom Gets New Leader" . U.S. Department of Defense . Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2022 .