Mr. Stephenson is responsible for integrating Irregular Warfare (IW) and Competition Activities into all aspects of Joint Force Development and for leading CJCS assessments of the Armed Forces readiness to execute IW, Security Force Assistance (SFA) and other critical activities. He serves as the J7 representative to the Office of the Secretary of Defense staff, other Joint Staff directorates, the Services, Combatant Commanders, civilian agencies, allies and multinational partners for related matters.

A former U.S. Army Special Forces operator with over 25 years of experience in Special Operations, he began his career as a US Army Infantryman in West Germany (1981-83) and then joined Special Forces, where he served with the US Army 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from 1985-2001. While assigned to the 5th SFG(A), he executed Unconventional Warfare, Foreign Internal Defense, Coalition Support, Special Activities, and Humanitarian Assistance missions throughout Africa and the USCENTCOM Area of
Responsibility.

After retiring from active duty in 2001, he joined government service at Special Operations Command, Joint Forces Command (SOCJFCOM). As the Special Actions Observer/Trainer and Deputy J7, he deployed to multiple Joint Task Forces, special operations commands and US agencies, and was detailed to the Combined Forces Special
Operations Component Command-Central (CFSOCC-C) during OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. He later stood up the SOCJFCOM Integration Division (J8) and served as the Deputy Chief of Staff. From 2007-2008 he moved to private industry to manage deployed technical intelligence collection activities in support of the Department of Defense.

In 2009, he rejoined the government and helped establish the Joint Irregular Warfare Center (JIWC) serving as the Chief of Staff then Executive Director. Upon USJFCOM disestablishment in August 2011 he was assigned to the Joint Staff J7 in the Pentagon where he established and led the Office of Irregular Warfare until December 2020.
During his tenure he led department efforts to develop, adapt, and institutionalize Joint Force capabilities relevant to modern competition and conflict. These efforts have helped to successfully integrate US Government and ally initiatives to counter irregular threats, compete below the threshold of direct conflict with great power adversaries, and more efficiently stabilize conflict affected regions.