R. Steven Whitcomb

R. Steven Whitcomb is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation from the University of Virginia in 1970. His most current assignment he served as the Inspector General in the Office of The Inspector General (OTIG) of the United States Army Inspector General Agency.

Company grade assignments
Whitcomb served in his first assignment as a rifle and weapons platoon leader in Company C, 2d Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne), 82d Airborne Division. His first Platoon Sergeant was Sergeant First Class Richard Sikes.

Branch transferring to Armor, his initial assignments included Commander, Company B, 2d and then 3rd Battalion, 64th Armor, 3rd Infantry Division. First Sergeant Arthur L. Jones served as the company's First Sergeant. Following company command, he served as Assistant Professor of Military Science, California University of Pennsylvania.

Field grade assignments
Next assigned to the Republic of Korea, Whitcomb served as S3, 524th Military Intelligence Battalion. Posted to Fort Hood, Texas he served as Deputy G2, 2d Armored Division, and then S3 and XO, 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor, as well as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, III Corps and Fort Hood.

His next assignment was in Germany where he commanded the, 2d Battalion, 70th Armor, 1st Armored Division, deploying the battalion to combat in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. The Battalion Command Sergeant Major was Command Sergeant Major Ralph Broughton. After battalion command, he served as a staff officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Headquarters Department of the Army.

Colonel assignments
Whitcomb served as Commander, 2d Brigade, 24th Infantry Division, with elements of the brigade deploying to Somalia and Haiti. Command Sergeants Major Ben Palacios and Joseph John served with him. His follow-on was a second tour at Headquarters, Department of the Army as a director in Force Development followed by service as Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff, Army.

General Officer assignments
After completing his tour of duty at Headquarters, Department of the Army, Whitcomb assumed the duties of Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, deploying with elements of the Division to Bosnia, followed by an assignment as Deputy Commanding General, Fort Knox, Kentucky with Command Sergeant Major Carl Christian.

During his second tour of duty in the Republic of Korea, Whitcomb served as the C3/J3, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, United States Forces Korea, and Deputy Commanding General, Eighth United States Army.

He was again reassigned to Fort Knox, Kentucky where he served as the Commander, U.S. Army Armor Center-Command Sergeants Major Carl Christian and then Joe Gainey served as part of the command team. In January 2003, he was assigned to US Central Command, serving as the Chief of Staff, CENTCOM during OIF and OEF.

Whitcomb assumed command of Third Army, US Army Central,(CFLCC) Forward Camp Arifjan, Kuwait on October 13, 2004 and ended this tour December 18, 2007.

Whitcomb became the 63rd Inspector General of the Army on February 14, 2008. He retired on August 13, 2010.

Education
Whitcomb's education includes the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Counter Intelligence Officer Course, the Armor Advance Course, Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. His civilian education includes a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in History from the University of Virginia and a Masters Degree in Education from California University of Pennsylvania.

Decorations
Whitcomb has been awarded the following military decorations:
 * Defense Distinguished Service ribbon.svg Defense Distinguished Service Medal
 * Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg Army Distinguished Service Medal
 * US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon.svg Defense Superior Service Medal
 * Legion of Merit ribbon.svg Legion of Merit
 * Bronze Star ribbon.svg Bronze Star with Valor Device
 * Bronze Star ribbon.svg Bronze Star
 * Meritorious Service ribbon.svg Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
 * Joint Service Commendation ribbon.svg Joint Service Commendation Medal