GENERAL STEPHEN R. LYONS

General Stephen R. Lyons graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1983 and was commissioned as an Ordnance Officer. General Lyons’ exemplary career included command of the 703d Main Support Battalion at Fort Stewart from 2001-2003 and the 82d Sustainment Brigade at Fort Bragg from 2005-2008.

From 2014-2015, while assigned as the Commanding General, Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) General Lyons led CASCOM in the execution of the Year of TRADOC Accreditation culminating in the Command being awarded the Institution of Excellence with an overall average of 97.5% (with eight subordinate entities receiving a perfect 100%). This was the highest Center of Excellence score across TRADOC and marked the third year in a row of CASCOM receiving the Institute of Excellence moniker.

General Lyons culminated his storied career as the 13th Commander, United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) where he led a total force team comprised of more than 122,000 active duty, National Guard, reserve, and civilians through worldwide operations. Daily, this command oversaw 230 railcars enroute, 33 ships underway, 1,500 trucks delivering cargo, aircraft taking off every 2.8 minutes around the world resulting in 455 airlift sorties in motion, 47 tanker sorties refueling receiver aircraft, 14 airborne patients under expert medical professionals' care and 25 defense couriers enroute. In 2019 alone, USTRANSCOM executed 43 brigade-sized overseas movements totaling 26 million square feet of military cargo in support of all six geographic combatant commands. As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged, posing a significant threat to DOD operations and our nation, General Lyons immediately issued the 2020 Joint Urgent Operational Needs statement to secure high-capacity airlift capability for the movement of COVID-19 infected passengers. Within 88 days, the Negatively Pressurized CONEX (NPC) was developed, acquisitioned, and deployed. This unprecedented feat resulted in moving more than 390 COVID-19 infected patients over a 16-month period. He leveraged the entirety of USTRANSCOM's global mobility capacity in direct support of the whole-of-government response to the COVID-19 pandemic to identify and coordinate delivery of ventilators, vaccines, syringes, and needles to the points of need around the globe.

General Lyons holds a Bachelor of Science from Rochester Institute of Technology, a Master of Arts from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Masters in Natural Resource Strategy from the National Defense University. His awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.

General Lyons retired in October 2021.