Colonel Todd Schmidt, Ph.D., currently serves as Director of Army University Press at Army University and the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He is Editor-in-Chief for Military Review and Executive Producer of Army University Films. He is the author of Silent Coup of the Guardians, a Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies, a Research Fellow with the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic at West Point, and an Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Leadership Fellow. He is a member of the Cosmos Club, a haven for fellowship, the arts, sciences, learning, and the sharing of ideas by scholars of action.
Selected as a U.S. Army Goodpaster Scholar in 2016, Colonel Schmidt completed his doctorate at the University of Kansas in 2019. His studies concentrated on American Politics, International Relations, and Foreign Policy Analysis. His dissertation, Silent Coup of the Guardians, focuses on U.S. national security policy and decision-making with in-depth investigation into the influence of military elites.
Dr. Schmidt conducted over 100 elite interviews with national security experts serving across six presidential administrations from President Ronald Reagan to President Donald Trump. Interviews were conducted with elites that included the experience of a former Secretary of State, a Deputy Secretary of State, five National Security Advisors, three Deputy National Security Advisors, three CIA Directors, two Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, two Vice Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, three Army Chiefs of Staff, two Army Vice Chiefs of Staff, one Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, twelve 4-star Combatant Commanders, multiple 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star Generals and Admirals, and multiple national security policy experts and Ph.D.’s from 13 universities and six major Think Tanks.
His research finds that military elites constitute and behave as an epistemic community, exhibiting key conceptual attributes that make their role and influence unique and exceptional. His findings suggest growing “praetorian” behavior coupled with and exacerbated by ineffectual civilian leadership. A consequence of these findings is that effective civilian control of the U.S. military is increasingly becoming a fanciful myth.
Dr. Schmidt began his career as a platoon leader in the 82d Airborne Division, followed by assignments to the 2nd Infantry Division (Mechanized), and the 25th Infantry Division (Light). In 2004, he deployed his unit of 150 Soldiers to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While serving in Regional Command – South, based out of Kandahar, he founded an international non-profit organization, Operation Dreamseed, building and aiding schools in war-ravaged states. He led the non-profit until 2012.
Dr. Schmidt served as Battalion Commander of the “I STRIKE” Battalion, deploying this highly decorated and well-trained unit in support of operations in Kuwait and SPARTAN SHIELD. In this role, he led over 500 Soldiers tasked with the primary responsibility for the defense of key strategic U.S. military installations and assets. He integrated with, supported, and advised host nation forces, achieving unprecedented synergy, and improving the operational readiness of missile defense across the Persian Gulf region.
Key staff assignments include working in the Immediate Office of the Secretary of Defense for both Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary Robert Gates; serving as an Initiatives Group strategist in the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Financial Management and Comptroller (ASA, FMC) office; and as an Executive Officer in the Office of the Chief of Staff for the Army’s Enterprise Task Force.
Dr. Schmidt is a member of the Cosmos Club, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Chatham House, Pacific Council on International Policy, and holds master’s degrees from Georgetown University, and the School of Advanced Military Studies. His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Bronze Stars, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, five Army Meritorious Service Medals, Senior Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, German Parachutist Badge, Office of the Secretary of Defense Staff Identification Badge, Army Staff Identification Badge, and 25th Infantry Division Combat Badge. Finally, Dr. Schmidt has been inducted into the Honorable Order of Saint Gabriel the Archangel and the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara for his exceptional service and contributions to national strategic policy and the missile defense community, respectively.
This website’s intended purpose is to be used as a professional and personal forum for Dr. Schmidt. He intends to post commentary, opinion pieces, as well as personal reflections and poetry. The written work, editorial comments, opinions, and bias are his own and do not reflect the position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Army.