Colonel Steven E. Gventer is a native of Grapevine, Texas and a graduate of Baylor University with a BS in Education. In 1998, after three years as a high school teacher and coach, he joined the Army and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in Armor from Officer Candidate School. At Camp Casey, Korea, he served as an Assistant Brigade Intelligence Officer and Tank Platoon Leader. In 1999, he was assigned to the 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, and served as a Tank and Support Platoon Leader and Battalion Logistics Officer.
In 2003, he assumed command of Charlie Co, 2-8 Cavalry and deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), commanding for 19 months, 12 in Sadr City. His follow-on included Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General (CG) 1st Cavalry Division, transitioning to Aide-de-Camp to the CG of Multinational Corps-Iraq deployed to Baghdad for the entirety of 2006.
In 2007, he reported to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he stood up and commanded the Army’s first Warrior Transition Company and later served as Executive Officer to the Commanding General of the Warrior Transition Command in MEDCOM.
As a Major, his assignments included Battalion Operations Officer (S3) in the 1st Cavalry Division, deployed to Maysan Province, Iraq and then as the S3, 3rd Armored Brigade, 1st CAV. In 2013, while assigned to NATO Joint Forces Command-Naples, he served as the Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, a French General.
In 2015, Colonel Gventer assumed command of Cougar Squadron, 2d Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, a Stryker Infantry Battalion, and led them through NATO training events and Operation Atlantic Resolve North in the Baltics. In 2017, the squadron became the first NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group based in northeastern Poland as a Multinational Battle Group of U.S., UK, and Romanian Soldiers under command of the Polish 15th Mechanized Brigade. In 2018, he served as Grizzly 07, the Senior Cavalry and Recon Trainer at the Joint Multinational Training Center, Hohenfels, Germany. He was the Chief of Operations Branch, Army Futures Command prior to assuming command of Joint Task Force-Bravo.
Colonel Gventer is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army War College Class of ’19 and member of the Advanced Strategic Art Program. His schools include Armor Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Australian Command and Staff College and others. His awards include the Bronze Star with V - “Valor” Device, the Bronze Star with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster and others.
He is married to Dr. Celeste Ward Gventer, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and President of the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU). They have a son Nate, who lives in Michigan, and a German Shepherd named Hildy. Steve is also an Eagle Scout who swims, plays basketball, dabbles in Triathlons, and watches football.