COL Mark Cobos was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He commissioned as an engineer officer after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 2000 and became an Army space operations officer in 2008. COL Cobos has deployed in support of Operation Joint Forge (Bosnia); Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq, x3); and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).
COL Cobos led many Army efforts to fight from, through and into space, including assignments in the 1st Space Brigade as a battalion commander, operations officer, and detachment commander. He also previously commanded a Sapper company in 3rd Infantry Division and led Sapper platoons in the 10th Mountain Division.
COL Cobos recently served as the deputy commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense and as the U.S. Space Command J35, chief of Future Operations. He also served in the Joint Staff J5 where he helped to lead Joint Staff efforts to establish U.S. Space Command and provide military contributions to the space-related initiatives and strategies of the National Security Council, the National Space Council, and the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy.
Other previous staff assignments include Army space experiments and wargames branch chief, where he assisted in the initial experimentation of the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center (now National Space Defense Center); aide-de-camp to the commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command; and campaign planner for Pakistan/Afghanistan coordination and the transition to Operation Resolute Support at Headquarters, International Security Assistance Force, Kabul, Afghanistan.
COL Cobos holds a Bachelor of Science from West Point in international relations, a Master of Science from the University of Missouri-Rolla in geology and geophysics, a Master of Military Arts and Science from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies, and a Master of Science from the National War College in national security strategy, DG.
COL Cobos is married, and they have two children.
July 2023
