A native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colonel Stephen Browne received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry upon graduation from Brigham Young University in April 1997. After attending the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, he served as Rifle Platoon Leader in 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, and later as Company Executive Officer and Operations Officer, Long Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
After completion of the Military Intelligence Transition and Captains Career Course at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, in 2002, Colonel Browne moved to Fort Hood, Texas, where he served in the 1st Cavalry Division as the Battalion Intelligence Officer for 3rd Battalion, 8th U.S. Cavalry, and as Brigade Intelligence Officer, 4th Brigade, deploying to Taji, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, he assumed command of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 312th Military Intelligence Battalion. Upon redeployment, he commanded the Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Cavalry Division.
In 2006, following command, Colonel Browne attended the Post Graduate Intelligence Program (PGIP), earning a master’s degree in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University, Washington, DC. Upon completion of graduate school, Colonel Browne served as the Military Intelligence Branch Senior Major’s Assignment Officer at the Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Virginia, from 2007 to 2010. Upon completion of this assignment, Colonel Browne was selected for branch transfer to the Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Corps and served as a Northeast Asia FAO.
In 2010, Colonel Browne moved to Sendai, Japan, where he completed FAO In-Region Training (IRT). As a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) and Tsunami disaster In March of 2011, Colonel Browne, together with the Japanese Self-Defense (JSDF), established the first ever Bilateral Coordination Action Team (BCAT) in Sendai, Japan, in support of Joint Task Force-Tohuku (JTF-TH). He served as the liaison among the JSDF, Joint Task Force-Tohoku, and U.S. forces in the coordinating and planning of disaster recovery and reconstruction operations as part of Operation TOMODACHI. Following this operation, Colonel Browne served as the U.S. Army Japan (USARJ) liaison officer to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), Northeastern Army in Sendai, Japan, until 2014.
In 2014, Colonel Browne moved to Tokyo, Japan, and served as the Director for Policy and Plans, Mutual Defense Assistance Office (MDAO), U.S. Embassy, Japan, where he coordinated various foreign military sales (FMS) programs and U.S.-Japan S&T cooperative R&D projects, and helped the Japan Ministry of Defense work with INDOPACOM in joint security cooperation efforts in Southeast Asia. Upon completion of his assignment to MDAO in 2017, Colonel Browne moved to Ft. Knox, Kentucky, where he served as the Foreign Area Officer Branch Chief at the Human Resources Command managing the assignments and professional development of all FAOs worldwide.
Colonel Browne’s military education includes the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course, Military Intelligence Transition and Advanced Courses, Post-Graduate Intelligence Program, Command and General Staff College, and the Defense Strategy Course. He holds a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terror Expeditionary and Service Medals, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Valorous Unit Award, the Combat Action Badge, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Ranger Tab, and parachutist and air assault badges.
Colonel Browne and his wife, Tiffany, have four children: Jacob, Jaelyn, Grace, and Gerrit.
