As an Army Ranger, Cox served four combat tours in the Middle East with elite units as the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 75th Ranger Regiment, and the 82nd Airborne Division.

Cox continues to serve in the Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel.

Cox was previously employed at Milliken & Company in Spartanburg and is currently employed by SIG SAUER as their Vice President of Government Affairs, where he oversees strategic program development for Capitol Hill, The Pentagon, State Department, and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.

On December 10, 2019, Cox was nominated by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to be the state's first Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

He also holds a Master of Professional Studies in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University.