Brigadier General (Retired) Richard K. Sele
Richard Sele began his career in the U.S. Army as an enlisted Interrogator and Linguist and retired 35 years later in 2018 as the Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne). He’s commanded soldiers through the 1-Star level, served in 5 conflict zones, and a number of staff assignments through the strategic level.
Notably he served as a congressional fellow for Congressman Jim Saxton managing the Iraq, Iran, and terrorism portfolios; as a Middle East political-military plans officer on Israel-US national security policy on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon; as a Deputy Principal for the Secretary of the Army’s Office of Legislative Liaison also in the Pentagon.
BG (Ret) Sele deployed to Desert Shield and Desert Storm where he was assigned as a liaison to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He worked closely with United Nations International Police Task Force Monitors in Sarajevo to re-establish stability following the Bosnian war; and coordinated humanitarian relief in East Timor following the nascent country’s war for independence.
Sele served with the Joint Special Operations Task Force in the southern Philippines; and during Iraqi Freedom he worked with the Diyala Provincial Council members to develop more effective best practices in governance and to facilitate a fair and safe constitutional referendum and national election.
He has published articles on national security related issues for the peer-reviewed journal “Low Intensity Conflict and Law Enforcement” and the Army professional journal “Military Review.” BG (Ret) Sele has an MS in National Security Strategy, MA in International Relations, and a BA in Psychology. He now works as a civilian contractor for U.S. Special Operations Command.
