Col. Aaron L. B. Cox
Colonel (COL) Aaron L.B. Cox was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2000, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He was commissioned into the US Army Corps of Engineers, and his career assignments include Light, Arctic, Multi-National, Joint, and Airborne units. His deployments include Iraq and Afghanistan.
COL Cox was first assigned as a Platoon Leader in Alpha Company, 44th Engineer Battalion (EN BN) at Camp Howze, South Korea. He later served as the Executive Officer (XO) of the 562nd Engineer Company, 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade at Fairbanks, Alaska. Subsequently, he was assigned to the 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division as an Assistant Battalion S3. COL Cox deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Iraq as part of the Division on two occasions. He then took command of A Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops, 82nd Airborne Division. Following command, COL Cox was selected as an exchange officer and served two years as the Battalion S3 for the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment, 3rd Brigade, Australian Defense Force, in Townsville, Australia. Following completion of the Command and General Staff College, he served as the Battalion S3 and XO in the 173rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) Vicenza, Italy deploying to Afghanistan.
Following his tour in Italy, COL Cox served as the Chief of Facilities and Construction for Eighth Army Engineers in Seoul, South Korea, and then as a J35 Future Operations Officer in the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He assumed command of the 307th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, and deployed to Afghanistan with TF Cobalt as the Bagram Security Force Commander. He then commanded the 5th Battalion, 3rd Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB) at Fort Hood, Texas, again deploying to Afghanistan as the Security Augmentation Force to the U.S. Embassy. COL Cox most recently completed the U.S. Army War College fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as a National Security Fellow, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
COL Cox’s military education includes Engineer Basic Course, Engineer Captains Career Course, Command and General Staff College, the Joint Forces Staff College, and the Army War College Fellowship at Harvard University. He holds a Master’s in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri (Rolla), and a Master’s in Business Administration from Webster University.
COL Cox’s military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Combat Action Badge, Ranger Tab, Sapper Tab, Senior Parachutist Badge, Joint Qualification, Australian Airborne Wings, German Airborne Wings, Italian Airborne Wings, and the Engineer Bronze de Fleury.