I’m a retired Regular Army colonel currently employed as a Senior Military Operational Planning Analyst with the Battelle Memorial Institute. I serve as the Product Owner and Joint Operations Subject Matter Expert on an agile software development team working within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Engineer Research Development Center. Our team is responsible for the Army's Map-Based Mission Planning science & technology project. This project develops, deploys and maintains a fully digital planning suite for Joint and operational-level Army planners that integrates geospatial and authoritative data, as well as modeling and simulations tools in a collaborative and distributed web-based environment. Our team also supports PM Mission Command's Command Post Computing Environment project.

Since 2011, I have worked as a consultant/contractor in the Department of Defense market supporting the Joint Staff, Joint Combatant Commands, Defense Agencies and the military services. I have provided facilitation, planning and analytical support to OSD, the Joint Staff, USTRANSCOM, USAFRICOM, the Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers. I have contributed to joint studies, wargames, and seminars on topics ranging from ground force regeneration to operational maneuver to global distribution planning.

My 25 1/2 year military career began when I was commissioned a Regular Army Armor and Cavalry Officer upon graduation from the Pennsylvania State University in 1986. I earned my spurs as a tank and scout platoon leader, cavalry troop executive officer and squadron plans officer with 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, “Blackhorse,” in Fulda, Germany. This service on the Inter-zonal German Border provided me a front row seat for the collapse of the Iron Curtin and the end of the Cold War. Following the Armor Officers’ Advanced Course, I served with 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, “Quarterhorse,” 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), as its S3 Air during OPERATIONS DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. The Squadron led the Big Red One at every phase of the war, from securing its assembly, to leading the deliberate breach, to being the first unit to cut the Kuwait City-Barsa highway to seizing and securing the cease fire negotiation site at Safwan, to screening the division’s withdrawal from Iraq. For this service, the Quarterhorse earned a Valorous Unit Award. Subsequently, I commanded, Bravo Troop, 1-4 Cavalry, at Fort Riley, Kansas. Following troop command, I served as an assistant professor of military history at the United States Military Academy, where I served as the staff ride director and earned accolades for integrating the Internet into my teaching. From 1998 to 2000, I completed the Command & General Staff Officer’s Course followed by the Advanced Military Studies Program at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Following graduation, I was the Operations Officer then Executive Officer of 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, “Mustangs,”1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas before serving as the Executive Officer of the 1st “Iron Horse” Brigade. From 2003-2005, I served as the Chief of War Plans for U.S. Army Central Command supporting OPERATIONS IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM. Thereafter, I had the privilege to command 1st Battalion “The Bandits,” 37th Armor Regiment of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Germany and in Iraq during OIF 05-07. Task Force 1-37 earned a Naval Unit Commendation fighting in Al Anbar Province where we spearheaded coalition operations that ultimately reclaimed the city of Ramadi from Al Qaeda in Iraq. After battalion command, I served as the Assistant G3, Chief of Plans at U.S. Army Forces Command, where my responsibilities included managing all Army conventional force troop rotations in support of the wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan. After declining to attend the Army War College, I concluded my career with service as the Chief, Unit Equipping and Readiness Division, in Army G-8, Force Development.

I have a B.A. and an M.A. in American History from the Pennsylvania State University. My major research interest is military innovation and specifically mechanization in the U.S. Army between the World Wars. I wrote my M.A. thesis on the U.S. Cavalry and Mechanization, 1928-1940. I also have a Masters of the Military Arts and Sciences in Theater Operations from the School for Advanced Military Studies. My major academic writings are on-line here.

My military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the National Defense Service Medal with Service Star, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with three Service Stars, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Service Star, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 3, the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), the Combat Action Badge, the Basic Parachutist Badge, the Valorous Unit Award, and the Naval Unit Commendation. I am also the recipient of the Order of Saint George Silver Medallion.

This page is my personal homestead on the Web. I am the owner & webmaster of Tedescos.com. I designed and published award-wining educational websites for two years while teaching at West Point. Since then, I have built and maintained web sites for a variety of church, school, military and veteran's organizations. I built and maintain this site using RapidWeaver, though I can also code HTML by hand.

I enjoy road cycling, strength training, cooking, reading, technology, fine wines and beer. I am a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.