About
AT A GLANCE:
Deputy Director of the Army G-3/5/7 Special Operations Division (G3 SOD) in support
of U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).
RESEARCH AREAS:
- Leadership in Special Operations
- Population-Centric Warfare
- Ethical Decision Making
- Leader Development
BIOGRAPHY:
Dr. Joseph Long is a retired Green Beret officer, leadership scholar, author, and
public speaker with over two decades of Special Operations, government, and academic
leadership experience. Dr. Long sits on the Board of Directors for the Leader Transition
Institute (LTI), serves as the Director of the Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI)
SOF Program, and is an Advisory Board Member for the Special Operations Association
of America (SOAA). He is a former Professor of Leadership and Ethics at the Joint
Special Operations University (JSOU), a leadership coach with The Honor Foundation
(THF), and a 2025 IWI Non-Resident Fellow.
Dr. Long’s academic and professional focus centers on preparing SOF leaders for population-centric and Irregular Warfare, with particular emphasis on partner-force development, ethical decision-making in complex SOF environments, and promoting relational and cross-cultural leadership styles. His current research focuses on developing a model for leading indigenous partner forces and populations in highly complex combat environments.
During his military career, Dr. Long commanded a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha (SFODA) in the 1st Special Forces Group, developed doctrine for the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command (ANASOC), and served as Director of Personnel Policy for the Special Forces Regiment. His awards include the Special Forces Tab, Military Freefall Parachutist Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device.
Dr. Long is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and holds a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School and a doctorate degree from the University of Charleston, where he completed his doctoral dissertation on leading guerrilla forces in combat, emphasizing relational and cross-cultural leadership styles. He lives with his family in Old Town, Alexandria, and is an avid cyclist, swimmer, and traveler.
PUBLICATIONS:
Solving the Dilemma: A Leadership Model for Irregular Warfare (‘Guerrilla Leader Series’
– Part 3 of 3) Irregular Warfare Initiative-SOF Program, (2026).
The Strategic Shift: A Leader’s Guide to the Risk to Follower Model (‘Guerrilla Leader
Series’ – Part 2 of 3) Irregular Warfare Initiative-SOF Program, (2026).
The Guerrilla Leader Theory: A Data-Driven Approach to Winning within the Human Domain
(‘Guerrilla Leader Series’ – Part 1 of 3). Irregular Warfare Initiative-SOF Program, (2026).
Even Crime Bosses Give Back: The Crisis of the American Leadership in the Changing
World Order. Journal of Strategic Competition, (2026).
Do Alliances Still Matter in a Multipolar World? (with Robert S. Burrell). Journal of Strategic Competition, (2026).
Beyond Lethality: The Primacy of Influence in Cognitive Warfare. Irregular Warfare Initiative, (2026).
De Oppresso Liber – Identify and Ethos Remain Foundational for Military Resiliency
(with Robert S. Burrell and Charles Cleveland). Global and National Security Institute, (2026).
The Liberator’s Dilemma: The Paradox of American Leadership. Inter Populum: The Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations, (2024).
Improving SOF Ethics Education (with Kari A. Thyne, John Labuz, and Michael W. Clark). JSOU Press, (2024).
The Future of Conflict: How Super-Empowered Populations Will Change Warfare. Irregular Warfare Initiative, (2023).
Ethics is Leader Business (with Kari A. Thyne). Special Warfare Magazine, (2022).
Green Berets: Rebuilding the Guerrilla Leader Identity (with David Walton). Small Wars Journal, (2019).
Beyond Bathsheba: Managing Ethical Climates through Pragmatic Ethics. Journal of Values-Based Leadership, (2017).
CONNECT / FOLLOW:
LinkedIn: @drjosephlong