11.06.23 / News
General Stephen Townsend Joins Phoenix Defense Board
General Townsend served in the U.S. Army for more than 40 years from his commissioning as an Infantry officer in 1982 to retirement in 2022. Throughout his career, General Townsend served in, trained, and led combat units from platoon to Corps and Joint Task Force (JTF) levels, including battalion command in Afghanistan, brigade command in Iraq, division command in Afghanistan (10th Mountain), and corps command (XVIII Airborne Corps) in Iraq and Syria as Commander, Combined/Joint Task Force – Inherent Resolve. General Townsend went on to command the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and thereafter continued his service as Commander US Africa Command (one of only 11 unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense).
General Townsend is widely respected as an innovative and creative wartime leader and trainer. His areas of expertise include leadership in complex organizations, national security, joint and multi-national operations, military training and combating terrorism with participation in nearly every major combat deployment of the US Army over the last 40 years.
Phoenix Defense Chairman Benjamin Chereskin stated, “We are excited to welcome General Townsend to the Phoenix Defense Board. His exceptional experience and performance as a warfighter and trainer are directly aligned with Phoenix’s culture. Where his Army background is supportive of Phoenix’s high priority ground combat training customers, his knowledge of joint and multi-national operations supports our growth into relevant adjacent markets. Additionally, as Phoenix has a foot within both readiness and modernization camps, General Townsend will provide tremendous insight into where we can have an immediate impact while building toward our strategic objectives.”
General Townsend reciprocated his enthusiasm related to Phoenix Defense, noting, “Phoenix is an exceptionally strong small to mid-size company that is focused on innovation and consistent, quality performance for their customers. I chose to join Phoenix because they believe in what they are doing and because while they are making a positive impact today, they have tremendous potential to do more. I wanted to be part of what they are building and accomplishing on behalf of national security.”
General Townsend also serves on boards at several other companies including several start-ups. General Townsend holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from North Georgia College and Masters Degrees in Military Arts and Sciences (MMAS) from the Army Command and General Staff College, and Strategic Studies (MSS) from the Army War College.
