Colonel Stephen Banks is the branch head for Modelling and Simulation and Learning Technologies at NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) in Norfolk, Virginia. He also serves as capability monitor for three capability programmes: NATO Next Generation Modelling and Simulation, Political Military Assisted Decision Making, and Education Training Exercise and Evaluation Functional Services.

Colonel Banks was commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1998 and in 2006 transitioned from armour branch to simulations operations. His diverse assignments include: tactical armoured reconnaissance units in the United States and Germany; instructor at the United States Military Academy, West Point; planner and chief of knowledge management, XVIII Airborne Corps; chief of regional exercises at U.S. Army – Europe; chief of operations at the U.S. Joint Multination Simulation Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany; and chief of the environment operations division, U.S. Joint Staff J7 – where his team provided the synthetic environment for U.S. Combatant Command training exercises around the world.

He has deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan he was assigned as a planner to the NATO International Security Assistance Force - Joint Command (IJC) in 2014.

Colonel Banks holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University; and master’s degrees in: Business Administration from Purdue University, Military Operations from the U.S. Army School for Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.