Lt. Col. Adair “Chip” L. Cox III is a native of Rome, Ga. In 2005 he commissioned as an aviation officer from Mercer University in Macon, Ga.
Lt. Col. has served in a variety of assignments during his seventeen-year career including overseas assignments in South Korea, Afghanistan, Jordan, and England. From 2006-2009, he served in South Korea as an aviation platoon leader, company executive officer and battalion S1 with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division. In 2010, Lt. Col. Cox was assigned to the 306th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas where he served as the Delta Company commander and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Following his deployment, Lt. Col. Cox attended the National Intelligence University, re-designating as a Strategic Intelligence Officer and was subsequently assigned to the 297th Military Intelligence Battalion where he led a team of Intelligence Analysts from 2013-2015. During that time he deployed to Amman, Jordan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2015, Lt. Col. Cox was then assigned to U.S. Central Command where he served as a senior watch officer, deputy division chief, and executive officer to the U.S. Central Command, director of intelligence. In 2018, Lt. Col. Cox was assigned to the Joint Analytic Center, US European Command in the United Kingdom. While there he served as the liaison officer to the U.K.s Permanent Joint Headquarters. In 2021, LTC Cox was assigned to the Joint Staff J2 where he served as the crisis response branch chief.
LTC Cox holds a bachelor degree in business administration from Mercer University, and a master's degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. His military schooling includes the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Course with a qualification in the UH-60 Blackhawk, the Aviation Officer Basic Course, Aviation Captain’s Career Course, Command and General Staff College, Joint Combined Warfighting School, Defense Strategy Course, and the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Level C Course.