During his assignment as commanding general, on 14 September 2012, Taliban insurgents disguised in U.S. uniforms staged a suicide attack on Camp Bastion, the United Kingdom-run NATO / ISAF air base in Afghanistan.

He then returned to college, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University in July 1982, and was commissioned through the Platoon Leader Class - Air (PLC-Air) program.

Additionally, he served as a flight instructor at NAS Pensacola, Florida and did a tour with 2nd Air and Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His major staff tours include duty at Headquarters Marine Corps in the Aviation Department's Plans, Policies, Joint Doctrine and Budget Branch (APP) where he served as the Landing Force Programs Officer focusing on rotary-wing budget matters and a tour on the Joint Staff in the Operations Directorate (J-3) where he served as an Assistant Deputy Director for Global Operations.

"[2] Following detachment from USPACOM at Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, Major General Sturdevant officially retired at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina on 17 April 2015.