Clay Hutmacher served more than 40 years as a U.S. Army Special Operations aviator, commanding at every level of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment — the elite “Night Stalkers.” He went on to serve as Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Special Operations Command and Director of Operations (J3) at U.S. Special Operations Command before retiring in 2018. He currently serves as President and CEO of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Steve Townsend commanded warfighting units at every level of the U.S. Army, from rifle platoon to a 92,000-soldier Corps. As a four-star general, he commanded U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and, in his final assignment, U.S. Africa Command, where he was responsible for all U.S. military forces and operations across the African continent. He retired in 2022 after more than 40 years of service.

Jim Slife concluded a 35-year Air Force career as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the service’s second-highest-ranking officer, overseeing a $215 billion annual budget and an organization of more than 600,000 personnel. He previously commanded Air Force Special Operations Command and served as Vice Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, where he validated requirements for the nation’s 72,000 special operations forces. He also served in senior roles at U.S. Central Command and U.S. Forces Korea.

Andrew Poppas concluded a 37 year career as the 24th Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces Command, the Army’s largest organization, responsible for training and readiness oversight of more than 710,000 soldiers and 13,000 civilians. A West Point graduate, he commanded airborne and air assault units from company to Division with multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and later served as both Director for Operations and Director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He retired in 2026.

Mary Jackson spent three decades in the U.S. Navy, beginning as a Surface Warfare Officer and ultimately commanding Naval Station Norfolk before rising to lead Navy Installations Command, where she was accountable for $7.5 billion in resources and 53,000 personnel across 71 Navy installations in 10 regions worldwide. Her career gave her deep expertise in the security challenges facing military installations embedded in dense civilian environments. She retired in 2020.

Sam Mundy served 38 years as a U.S. Marine infantry officer, commanding at every level from platoon to Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Before retiring in 2021, he served consecutively as Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command. He also served as Executive Officer to the Commander of U.S. Central Command and as Director of the Marine Corps Senate Liaison Office on Capitol Hill.

Jon Jensen completed a 41-year career in the National Guard with extensive experience in homeland security, domestic disaster response, and operational and strategic planning. He served as Director of the Army National Guard and Acting Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and as Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard under two governors. His career included multiple overseas deployments across peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and combat operations.

John Deedrick served 35 years as an Infantry and Special Forces officer, commanding Army and joint forces during multiple combat tours in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. His final three assignments were Commander of 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), Commander of Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan, and U.S. Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee. He currently serves as founder and CEO of E. John Deedrick Jr and Associates LLC.

Matt Burns retired as a Rear Admiral after a 37-year career in Naval Special Warfare and Special Operations. He enlisted in the Navy in 1988, was selected for the Seaman to Admiral commissioning program, and went on to command at every level within the SEAL Teams, including leading the Navy’s premier special operations unit. In 2020, he became the first Seaman to Admiral graduate to attain flag rank. He holds a Master of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Geoff Downer retired in 2023 after more than 40 years of federal service supporting Army and U.S. Special Operations Command rotary wing aviation. A member of the Senior Executive Service, he served as Army AMCOM Director of Special Programs (Aviation) and USSOCOM Program Executive Officer for Rotary Wing, where he was responsible for the development, acquisition, modernization, and fielding of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations rotary wing fleet. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech.