Philipp Reichert  is a researcher at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. He has contributed on projects for both non-governmental and governmental actors, the latter including the European Commission and the Dutch Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs. His areas of interest include counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and military history.

Captain R. Chandler Swallow teaches Economics and Pakistan and Afghanistan courses at National Defense University's Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (formerly ICAF).  He commanded USS NICHOLAS (FFG 47) and directed operations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Arabian Gulf.   He sortied to Aden, Yemen to support USS COLE after the Al Qaeda attack that killed seventeen Sailors.  Ashore, he served as the Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 2008-2010.

Rob Thornton, USA Retired, served in both Operating Force and Generating Force units and completed his service as a Functional Area 59.

Robert R. Almonte is a United States Marsha in the Western District of Texas. He has over 25 years in law enforcement with the El Paso Police Department, with most of his career spent on the front lines of the drug war. Marshal Almonte has extensive field research conducted at narco-shrines in both Mexico and the United States, personal interviews of those involved in the honoring of legitimate and worship of illegitimate saints related to the drug trade and other criminal activities, and provides ongoing consultation with members of U.S. law enforcement throughout the country concerning recent narcotics cases.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Bateman is an infantryman, historian and prolific writer.  Bateman was a Military Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and has taught Military History at the U.S. Military Academy. He is currently stationed in Washington, D.C.  Bateman has authored two books: "Digital War, A View from the Front Lines" (Presidio: 1999) and "No Gun Ri, A Military History of the Korean War Incident" (Stackpole, 2002). He's also contributed to or co-authored seven more.  Bateman's byline has appeared on more than 300 print and major national web site articles.

Dr. Robert J. Bunker holds degrees in political science, government, behavioral science, social science, anthropology-geography, and history. Training taken includes that provided by DHS, FLETC, DIA, Cal DOJ, Cal POST, LA JRIC, NTOA, and private security entities in counter-terrorism, counter-surveillance, incident-response, force protection, and intelligence. Dr. Bunker has been involved in red teaming and counter-terrorism exercises and has provided operations support within Los Angeles County.

Robert C. Jones is a retired Army Special Forces Colonel who has recently been hired as the strategic advisor to the USSOCOM J5. His service includes Special Operations positions in Desert Shield/Storm, OEF-Philippines and OEF-Afghanistan. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, Willamette University College of Law, and Oregon State University.  He was serving as a Deputy District Attorney in Multnomah County, OR on 9/11 and is a fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies.

Dr. Robert Farley is an assistant professor at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky.  He writes a weekly column at World Politics Review, and blogs at Lawyers, Guns and Money and Information Dissemination.

Robert Haddick is a contractor at U.S. Special Operations Command. From January 2009 to September 2012 he was Managing Editor of Small Wars Journal. During this time, he wrote the “This Week at War” column for Foreign Policy. Haddick was a U.S. Marine Corps officer, served in the 3rd and 23rd Marine Regiments, and deployed to Asia and Africa. He has advised the State Department, the National Intelligence Council, and U.S. Central Command.

In the private sector, Haddick was Director of Research at the Fremont Group, a large private investment firm and an affiliate of the Bechtel Corporation. He established the firm's global proprietary trading operation and was president of one of Fremont's overseas investment subsidiaries.

In addition to Foreign Policy and Small Wars Journal, Haddick's writing has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Air & Space Power Journal, and other publications. He has appeared in many radio and television interviews.

Contact Robert at robert@smallwarsjournal.com.

Robert Sharp is an associate professor at the National Defense University's Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies.  The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and do not represent the official policy or position of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

Robert Tollast is an occasional contributor to The Small Wars Journal. He writes Mesopotamia Monthly, a monthly Iraq update for the Global Politics journal, as well as having written for the Defence Management Journal. He lives and works in London.

Dr. Roy F. Houchin II joined the faculty of the Air War College Department of Warfighting in 2006 following his retirement from active duty with the Air Force. He has taught previously at the School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Air Command and Staff College and in the Department of History at the US Air Force Academy. While on active duty, Dr. Houchin served as Director of Operations and Chief, Combat Operations, 607th Combat Operations Squadron, Osan, South Korea. He also held various air battle management assignments in the Tactical Air Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Combat Command and HQ USAF. He is the author of US Hypersonic Research and Development: The Rise and Fall of Dyna-Soar, 1944-1963, Taylor and Francis Publishing, 2006, several chapters in edited works and numerous articles in professional journals. He is the Military Space editor for Quest: the History of Spaceflight Quarterly. Dr. Houchin holds a B.A. and M.A. from Western Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University. His areas of interest and expertise are history of technology and military history (particularly space and World War I), as well as airpower history, theory and doctrine.

Ryan Kennedy is a combat veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps from 2003-2007. After his honorable discharge, Ryan received a Masters Degree in International Relations from the Catholic University of America while working for Senator Jim Webb (VA). In 2009, Ryan spent two semesters at Oxford University studying Middle Eastern politics. Ryan is currently employed by the United States Army as an Afghanistan research analyst.

Ryan T. Kranc  is a major in the U.S. Army and squadron operations officer in 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, CA.  The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

Sid Heal is a retired Commander from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the NTOA’s (National Tactical Officers Association) section chair on Strategy Development.  He has been a longtime observer and student of the nature of human conflict and has written extensively on the subject.  He is also the author of Tactical Concepts, a featured column in the Tactical Edge.