Colonel Adam Nestor enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2001 as a psychological operations specialist. He later earned his undergraduate degree in International Affairs from George Mason University. In 2004, he commissioned as an infantry officer and was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, where he led a rifle platoon. He deployed twice to Iraq’s Sunni Triangle, in 2005 and 2007, and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge. In 2008, COL Nestor took command of a company in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), then served as a counterinsurgency advisor to the Royal Saudi Land Forces. He later joined the Joint Special Operations Command, where he supported counterterrorism operations in East Africa.
Selected for the Army’s Strategic Studies Program in 2014, COL Nestor completed the resident Command and General Staff College and the Basic Strategic Arts Program at the U.S. Army War College. He was then assigned to the Army Capabilities Integration Center, where he served as a strategic planner for concept and capability development.
In 2018, he served as the aide-de-camp to the Commanding General of Army Training and Doctrine Command, then transitioned to U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) in 2019 as aide and speechwriter to the combatant commander. In 2020, he became USAFRICOM’s first Chief of the Competition and War Plans Branch, leading efforts to counter Chinese influence in Africa and overseeing war plan development in support of global contingency operations.
In 2021, COL Nestor was detailed to the Central Intelligence Agency as the Deputy Chief of the Field Operations Group within the Office of the Associate Director for Military Affairs. In this role, he oversaw Title 50 support to the Department of Defense and Global Combatant Commands.
Following Senior Service College, COL Nestor served as the Director of Strategy and Plans for the Office of the Security Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. He currently serves on the faculty of the National War College.
His civilian education includes an M.A. in Strategic Studies from the National War College, an M.A. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University, and a B.A. in International Affairs from George Mason University.