It is with great pleasure that I have accepted a position with SOFREP as a Contributing Editor. I have been a daily reader of the SOFREP news reports for quite a while and welcome the opportunity to add to their reporting. It is my intent to provide articles with news, analysis, and commentary on a host of topics to include special operations, intelligence, current conflicts, terrorism, national security, and foreign policy.

My most rewarding time in the military was as a Team Sergeant (E8) on a Special Forces Combat Dive Team.

I am somewhat familiar with the special operations world, having served 40 years in U.S. Army Special Forces—both active and reserve components. Over half of my service was on active duty. I have had the good fortune of serving with Special Forces at all levels, to include SF Operational Detachment Alpha (SFODA), company, battalion, group, several overseas special operations task forces (SOTFs), and a few overseas special operations commands (SOCs). Although my experience is SF-centric, I certainly hope to provide informative articles on the full range of special operations.

My long deployments include time in Iraq (1991, 2004, 2006, and 2007) and Afghanistan (2002, 2003, and 2011). I also spent some time in Haiti (1995) and Djibouti (2008-2009). In addition, I participated in numerous exercises and training events in Central / South America, Africa, Europe, Middle East, and other parts of the world. I hope to write articles about those past conflicts and operations from a historical standpoint—integrating some of my personal observations.

In a French armored vehicle in Afghanistan.

After my retirement from the Army in January 2012, I worked as a Counterinsurgency Advisor with the COMISAF Advisory and Assistance Team (CAAT) in Afghanistan from April 2012 to August 2014. In my advisor role I was posted to Regional Command East, Regional Command North, and (to my dismay) a short time in Kabul. Following my CAAT assignment, I was employed in 2015 and 2016 as a defense contractor, providing exercise support to USSOCOM and NATO. In the course of my work, I continue to travel overseas; I’ve recently completed two trips to Afghanistan in 2016. For the past few years I was the publisher of the “Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter.” While I will write about conflicts taking place around the world, I will always be sure to stay current on Afghanistan and provide articles about that ongoing conflict.

Mountain climbing in the Alps of Switzerland.

It is my hope that my civilian education, civilian work experience, and overseas travel has prepared me for writing on topics such as national security and terrorism. In addition to my military service and during my time with the reserve components, I worked for over 10 years as a security professional providing instruction, training and consulting services (executive protection, protective systems, and anti-terrorism) in the civilian world—both domestically and overseas in high-risk areas. My civilian education includes a certificate of proficiency in Security Management (one-year program) from the University of Massachusetts – Lowell, and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) degree, cum laude, concentrating in International Relations, from Harvard University.

I look forward to my role as a Contributing Editor for SOFREP and welcome your suggestions and observations on my reporting, analysis, and commentary.