Robert W . Cone Robert William Cone ( born 1957 ) is a United States Army four - star general and is currently the Commanding General of U . S . Army Training and Doctrine Command . He assumed command of TRADOC on 29 April 2011 . He previously served as the commander of Fort Hood and III Corps on 22 September 2009 where he also deployed to Iraq in February 2010 , and served as the Deputy Commanding General for Operations , United States Forces – Iraq , until February 2011 . Prior to that , he served as the Special Assistant to the Commanding General of U . S . Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe , VA . Education . Cone is a native of Manchester , New Hampshire . He graduated from the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1979 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Armor Branch . Cone earned a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and was inducted in the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi . He served as both an instructor and Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department at West Point . He earned a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies in 1998 from the Naval War College and was named " Graduate of Highest Distinction " . Additionally , Cone was a Fellow in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Program . His military education includes the Naval War College , the Army Command and General Staff College , the Infantry Officer Advanced Course , and the Armor Officer Basic Course . Career . Cone has served in a variety of command , staff , and operational assignments in the United States , Germany , and Southwest Asia . Cone ' s first duty assignment was in the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood , Texas , where he served as a Platoon Leader and Troop Executive Officer in the 2nd Squadron , 1st Cavalry Regiment ( 2 - 1 CAV ) . In October 1981 Cone became the Aide - de - Camp to the Assistant Division Commander , 2nd Armored Division . He then served as the Battalion Maintenance Officer , Combat Service Support Company Commander , and Tank Company Commander in the 1st Battalion , 67th Armored Regiment ( 1 - 67 AR ) . Cone attended the Infantry Advanced Course in 1985 followed by graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin . Next , Cone served as an Instructor and Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point . After selection and completion of U . S . Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , Cone reported to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ( Blackhorse Regiment ) in Fulda , Germany . Cone served as the 2nd Squadron Operations Officer ( S - 3 ) during Operation Desert Storm , became the Regimental Operations Officer ( S - 3 ) in November 1991 , then the Regimental Executive Officer in March 1993 . He left the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the spring of 1994 . Next , Cone moved to Fort Bliss , Texas , and became the Regimental Executive Officer of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ( Brave Rifles ) . He assumed command of the 1st Squadron , 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in October 1994 . After Squadron Command , he served as the Special Assistant to the Commanding General , Fort Carson , Colorado , then reported to the Naval War College in Newport , Rhode Island , in the summer of 1997 . Cone became the Division Operations Officer ( G - 3 ) of the 4th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) , Fort Hood , Texas , in July 1998 . He assumed command of the 2d Brigade , 4th Infantry Division , the following year . His brigade deployed to South Korea as part of Exercise Foal Eagle . Additionally , he led his Brigade in the Army ' s Division Capstone Exercise in April 2001 as the culminating event in the development of the heavy digital force . Following Brigade Command , Cone served as the Director of the Joint Advanced Warfighting Program , Institute for Defense Analyses located in Alexandria , Virginia , where he was responsible for developing joint force concepts and experiments . He participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 as the Director of the U . S . Joint Forces Command ( JFCOM ) Joint Lessons Learned Collection Team . Cone was tasked to capture , document , and report real time lessons learned from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan . His work led to the establishment of the Joint Center for Operational Analysis at JFCOM . After returning from the Middle East , Cone served as the Director of the JFCOM Joint Center for Operational Analysis in Suffolk , Virginia . Commanding General , National Training Center . In September 2004 , Cone became the Commanding General of the U . S . Army ' s National Training Center ( NTC ) at Fort Irwin , California . During his 33 - month command , Cone implemented a broad array of changes reorienting training on counterinsurgency operations . In conjunction with the Joint IED Defeat Organization ( JIEDDO ) , Cone established the Joint Center of Operational Excellence in training for the defeat of improvised explosive devices at the NTC . Commanding General , Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan . Cone deployed to Afghanistan in June 2007 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and assumed command of the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan . His 18 - month command focused on developing the Afghan National Army and Police . During his tenure , the Afghan National Army expanded from 50 , 000 troops to close to 80 , 000 and a broad array of reforms were implemented to address corruption and training in the Afghan National Police . After returning from Afghanistan , he served as the Special Assistant to the Army Chief of Staff then became the Special Assistant to the Commanding General of the Army ' s United States Army Training and Doctrine Command where he was responsible for officer and enlisted soldier Initial Entry Training . Commanding General , III Corps and Fort Hood . In September 2009 , Cone assumed command of III Corps and Fort Hood , Texas . In March 2010 , Lieutenant General Cone deployed to Iraq with III Corps Headquarters and became the Deputy Commanding General for Operations , the second highest - ranking military officer in United States Forces – Iraq until 8 February 2011 . He had responsibility for operations throughout the entire country including the development and training of fielded Iraqi Security Forces . He oversaw the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom and counterinsurgency operations to and stability operations . This transition included the drawdown of servicemembers from roughly 100 , 000 to less than 50 , 000 and the transfer of more than 120 bases , the largest single movement of military personnel and equipment since World War II . General Cone returned to Ft . Hood on 9 February 2011 . His awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Legion of Merit with two oak leaf cluster s , Bronze Star Medal , Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters , Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Army Achievement Medal , Parachutist Badge , Ranger Tab , and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge . General Cone is also the recipient of the Ghazi Wazir Mohammad Akbar Kahn State Medal from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan .