Robert W. Schaefer

Robert Schaefer is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces lieutenant colonel (Green Beret) and former U.S. diplomat with more than 40 years of experience advising foreign heads of state, militaries, and Fortune 50 companies. While on active duty, he served in a variety of special units and participated in virtually every U.S. overseas operation since 1990. He was NBC’s on-air Security Analyst for its official coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

He was the recipient of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), and the Office of Strategic Services Society's Award of Excellence (The Singlaub Award) as the U.S. Special Operations Command Person of the Year for his historic achievements leading foreign forces in combat operations. He obtained his M.A. from Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and is an original equity stakeholder of Horse Soldier Bourbon®, where he formerly served as Chief of Staff and ran all business operations for the company’s first five years.

He has served as a consultant to government agencies and universities and is a frequent contributor to major media outlets. His critically acclaimed book, The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus, won multiple national awards and was named to Kirkus Reviews’ “Best of 2011” and “Top 150 Books on Terrorism and Counterterrorism” lists (the only book on the conflict to be included). He also contributed a chapter to The Fire Below: How the Caucasus Changed Russia (Bloomsbury, 2013) and was a contributor to Operation Homecoming (Random House, 2006). He is the creator of The Green Beret Way®, a series of books and a practical leadership operating system for building trust, leading under pressure, and driving outcomes through influence.