Lieutenant General Steven L. Basham
U.S. Air Force • B-1, B-2 & B-52 Bomber Pilot • B-2 Combat Pioneer • Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient
Steven L. Basham was born and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he graduated from Bowling Green High School before attending Western Kentucky University. He earned a degree in Electrical Engineering
Technology from WKU and received his commission in the United States Air Force through Officer Training School in 1989.
After completing pilot training, Basham entered the B-1 bomber community, serving at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, and Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. His experience eventually led to selection for the emerging B
-2 Spirit stealth bomber program at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. He was among the first group of non-instructor pilots selected to fly the B-2.
On March 24, 1999, then-Major Basham became one of the first four pilots to fly the B-2 into combat during Operation Allied Force. Flying from Whiteman Air Force Base to Serbia and back, the mission lasted approximately 31 hours. Basham flew three combat missions during the campaign and received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
When Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003, Basham was Director of Operations for the 393rd Bomb Squadron and helped lead the B-2’s first overseas combat deployment.
His career continued across all three of the Air Force’s operational bomber platforms. In addition to the B-1 and B-2, Basham flew the B-52 Stratofortress and in 2009 assumed command of the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
As his career advanced, Basham moved from bomber operations into increasingly senior command, planning and policy positions. His assignments included Director of Strategy, Plans and Programs for Pacific Air Forces; Deputy Director for Requirements on the Joint Staff; and Director of Legislative Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.
In May 2019, Basham was promoted to Lieutenant General and became Deputy Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He served there during a period of increasing security challenges across Europe and Africa.
In July 2022, Basham became Deputy Commander of United States European Command at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany. As one of the command’s senior leaders, he helped oversee U.S. military operations and coordination with NATO allies and partners across the European theater.
Basham retired from the United States Air Force on July 15, 2024, after more than three decades of military service.
A command pilot, he accumulated more than 3,400 flying hours in the B-1, B-2, B-52, T-37 and T-38. His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and numerous other awards.
In 2026, 
Western Kentucky University selected Basham for induction into its Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
From the cockpit of America’s strategic bombers to senior command in Europe, Steven Basham’s career spanned more than three decades of change in American air power. His path began in Bowling Green and at Western Kentucky University, carried him through the combat debut of the B-2 Spirit, and concluded in one of the nation’s most senior military leadership positions.
Today, Basham remains closely connected to his hometown and its aviation heritage. He is an active member of the Aviation Heritage Park & Museum Board of Directors, contributing his experience and leadership to the organization that now helps preserve and share the stories of fellow aviators from southcentral Kentucky.
