Col Steven Slagle is the Commander, Space Base Delta 3 (SBD 3), Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California. He leads five squadrons and six staff agencies, supporting over 7,000 personnel with $1 billion in physical plant assets and manages the annual execution of a $61.4 million annual budget. SBD 3 provides medical services, civil engineering and logistics, communications, chaplain services, security, personnel and readiness programs, and quality-of-life services to the installation, including the co-located Field Command, Space Systems Command, the base housing areas at Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, California, and many other Department of Defense units in the Los Angeles area.
Col Slagle received his commission through Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in 2004 and transferred to the U.S. Space Force in 2021. He has served in a variety of engineering, acquisition, and policy positions, including the Air Force Research Laboratory, Intelligence Community, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Army Headquarters G-3/5/7, NATO, and the United Nations. As Materiel Leader at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, he led more than 150 personnel integrating space-based geospatial intelligence capabilities supporting the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and international partners. His deployments include service in Jerusalem, Israel, as the United Nations Deputy Chief of Military Personnel and at Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands, where he coordinated air movements across eight NATO airfields supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
Prior to his current position, Col Slagle served as Deputy Director Systems Engineering Directorate at National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), where he led more than 700 government and contractor personnel supporting an operational space intelligence enterprise valued at over $60 billion.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science, Physics, State University of New York, Cortland, N.Y.
2002 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Clarkson University, N.Y.
2004 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2009 Master of Science, Electro-Optical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Ohio
2012 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Distinguished Graduate, Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB. Ala.
2024 Distinguished Graduate, Master of National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2004 – February 2007, Infrared Analyst, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio
2. March 2007 – March 2009, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio
3. April 2009 – September 2011, Chief, Laser Weapons Section, Starfire Optical Range, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
4. October 2011 – February 2013, Executive Officer, Phillips Research Site, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
5. March 2013 – September 2013, NATO Operations Controller, Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands
6. November 2013 – June 2016, Program Manager, Advanced ISR Sensors, Electro-Optical Systems Program Office, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va.
7. July 2016 – May 2017, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. June 2017 – February 2019, Deputy Chief, Support Operations, United States Military Observer Group, U.S. Army Headquarters G-3/5/7, Crystal City, Va.
9. February 2019 – July 2019, Deputy Chief, Military Personnel, United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, Jerusalem, Isreal
10. August 2019 - June 2020, Chief, Strategic Space Systems Division, Rapid Capabilities Office, Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, Washington D.C.
11. July 2020 – June 2023, Materiel Leader, Geospatial-Intelligence Integration, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Springfield, Va.
12. July 2023 – June 2024, Student, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
13. June 2023 – July 2024, Deputy, Space Sensing and Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications Division, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. July 2024 – July 2026, Deputy Director, System Engineering Directorate, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va.
15. July 2026 – present, Commander, Space Base Delta 3, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2017 – July 2019, Deputy Chief, Support Operations, United States Military Observer Group, U.S. Army Headquarters G-3/5/7, Crystal City, Va., as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant August 13, 2004
First Lieutenant August 13, 2006
Captain August 13, 2008
Major February 1, 2015
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 2019
Colonel January 1, 2025
(Current as of July 2026)