Rick Samuels will present "Maypoles and Merry-Go-Rounds:  Strategy in the National Security Decision Making Process" on Tuesday, February 4th at 2:00 p.m. at the Honors College, large auditorium in room HCRN 1066.  Mr. Samuels’ talk will refer both to present and to historical examples of national security decision-making, making reference to current and topical issues of Foreign Policy, including the current National Defense Strategy.

Mr. Richard Samuels joined the Air War College faculty in 2017. He retired from the US Air Force as a colonel in 2016, after 30 years of active duty service. Mr. Samuels was a special operations aviator with over 3600 flying hours in several aircraft. He served in multiple combat operations from Just Cause to Iraqi Freedom. Samuels commanded at the major, lieutenant colonel and colonel levels, served several staff tours at higher headquarters, as well as two tours on the Joint Staff. He holds a BS in Aeronautical Engineering, MS in Mechanical Engineering, and an MA in Strategic Studies. Samuel’s areas of interest and expertise include command, leadership, strategy, command relations, national security decision making, civil-military relations, and operational design.