Cmdr. Steve Foley is a native of Charlestown, Mass. He graduated from Thayer Academy in Braintree, Mass., in 1980 and is a 1984 graduate of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., with a B.A. in English.

Steve was commissioned through Aviation Officer Candidate School at NAS Pensacola, Fla., in 1985. He was designated a naval aviator in September 1986, at NAS Meridian, Miss., and became a TA-4J Skyhawk instructor for Training Squadron 7 (VT 7). In 1988, Steve received training in the F/A-18 Hornet at Strike Fighter Squadron 125 (VFA 125) at NAS Lemoore, Calif.

Steve served with VFA 25 from 1989-1992 and deployed to the Arabian Gulf aboard USS Independence in support of Operation Desert Shield. He graduated from United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) in March 1991, and returned to VFA 25 as the weapons and tactics training officer. In May 1992, he reported to TOPGUN as an instructor, flying the F-16N, A-4, and F/A-18, specializing in Hornet mission employment and tactics.

As a department head for VFA 25, he deployed aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in June 1996 and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in June 1998, flying missions in support of Operation Southern Watch, and won COMNAVAIRPAC’s Michael G. Hoff Attack Aviator of the Year Award. In December 1998, Steve served as the TOPGUN division officer and NSAWC standardization officer.

In November 2000, Steve became the executive officer of the VFA 82 "Marauders" at MCAS Beaufort, S.C. He deployed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in September 2001, and flew 48 combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Steve assumed command of the "Marauders" on March 13, 2002, and was awarded COMNAVAIRLANT’s 2002-2003 Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic Leadership Award.

Steve is an Honor Graduate of the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., with an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies. He attended the Joint Forces Staff College and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.