Stephen A. Cheney is a retired United States Marine Corps Brigadier General who served for more than 30 years.

At the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego he had command positions of series and company from 1975 to 1978.

After graduating from the National War College, Cheney was the Ground Plans Officer for the Department of Defense Coordinator for Drug Enforcement Policy and Support.

At Parris Island, he oversaw improvements in the basic training regimen that led to a reduction in injuries and an increase in graduation rate, which reduced pressure on overworked Marine recruiters and helped the Corps to be the only service to meet recruitment goals.

Cheney became the chief executive officer of the American Security Project in Washington, DC in August 2011 and later was named President.

[11] Secretary of State John Kerry appointed Cheney to the Foreign Affairs Policy Board in October 2014.

[13] In April 2015, Cheney accepted a position as a Non-Executive Director of Alexium International, which is based in Greenville, South Carolina.

[14] He retired from Alexium in October 2023, and became an Advisory Board member for Workstorm LLC in Chicago at that time.

Cheney remains active in U.S. Masters Swimming and was 3rd in age group at the mile in the 2022 National Championships.