MAJOR GENERAL FERDINAND B. STOSS, USAF – RET.

Expertise: Political-Military Affairs, Nuclear Weapons, Combat Arms, Europe, Asia

Major General (retired) Fred Stoss is Editor-in-Chief for Bancroft Capital’s GEOIntelligence Group.  He leads Bancroft’s intelligence effort to inform our clients on long-term and evolving strategic problems, regional flashpoint issues, as well as topical challenges, such as cyber, space and nuclear weapons.

Prior to joining Bancroft Capital, Fred served over 34 years on active service in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Major General in 2022.

Most recently in his military service, Fred was the Director of Plans and Policy (J-5), the head strategist for U.S. Strategic Command, an organization comprised of over 130,000 military members, where he led development of the approach for strategic deterrence, nuclear operations, global strike operations, and missile defense. His directorate built and maintained Department of Defense nuclear war contingency plans and provided strategic support for theater combatant commanders. He also supported force postures, arms control policies, and was the lead integrator of strategic deterrence activities with allies and partners.

Prior to his U.S. Strategic Command duties, he was the Commander of Twentieth Air Force, where he led over 12,000 personnel, to include the nation’s land-based nuclear deterrent force.

Stoss holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in national security and defense studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff, a master’s degree in aerospace operations from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, as well as a master’s degree in history from University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was a Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he studied the nuclear fuel cycle. Fred also attended many other fellowships, including the Darden School of Business at University of Virginia, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.