Wes Martin

Wes Martin - Page 1

Retired Colonel, U.S. Army

Colonel Wes Martin retired from active duty in 2010. During his rise from private to colonel he accumulated over ten years of command time, including two battalions, one group, and one base. In combat he served as the senior Antiterrorism/Force Protection Officer for all coalition forces in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 and 2, as Senior Operations Officer for Task Force 134 (Detention Operations), and as Commander of Forward Operating Base Ashraf (working with the Iranian Mojahedin). During his three Pentagon tours of duty he served as Force Protection Assessment Team Chief, Army Operations Center Crisis Action Team Chief, and Department of Army Information Operations Chief. Colonel Martin completed his military service as the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Information Operations Chief. As the Antiterrorism Officer in Iraq, Colonel Martin’s lead from the front/on ground style of leadership resulted in blocking Al Qaeda from killing the moderate Shia Grand Ayatollah Sistani and blowing up the Baghdad doctors’ convention. He also prevented the theft of over one thousand Cobalt 60 radioactive sources and an attack on the Baghdad trade fair. As the USFK Information Operations Chief, Colonel Martin developed the Computer Network Operations oversight program that became the template for all U.S. Department of Defense major commands. His awards include two Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars, and six Meritorious Service Medals. Colonel Martin has earned two Masters’ Degrees (International Politics and International Business) and has numerous published articles focusing on leadership and military history.