Colonel (Retired)
Richard Outzen
EDUCATION
Colonel Outzen is a PhD candidate at George Mason’s Schar School for Policy and Government. He holds a BA in history from Dartmouth College, and MA from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterrey CA and an MA in National Strategic Resourcing from the Eisenhower School at National Defense University.
EXPERIENCE
Rich Outzen is currently the Senior Advisor for Syrian Engagement at the U.S. Department of State, advising the Special Representative for Syrian Engagement (S/SRS), Ambassador James Jeffrey, focusing on Syria, Turkey, and Israel as they relate to U.S. security policy and strategy, support policy development, coordination, and diplomacy. Prior to this he served Senior U.S. Army Advisor at the Department of State, responsible for overseeing and assisting 44 U.S. Army officers detailed in support, as well as analysis and advising on U.S. policies and strategy in a variety of regions and fields. Rich has is also the former Defense Attache to the US Embassy in Kabul. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Training and Development at the US. Embassy in Kabul and as the Army Attache at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv Israel.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Mr Outzen is an expert on US Middle East Foreign Policy and diplomacy. He has worked conflict management and military issues in Turkey, Syria, Israel, Iraq and Jordan. He has also served multiple tours with the US Department of State both a Main State and in a variety of US Embassies abroad.
PUBLICATIONS
“Power, Islam and Pragmatism in Turkish Strategy,” War on The Rocks, April 27, 2016.
“From Crisis to Cooperation: Turkey’s Relationship with Washington and NATO,” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, June 2012.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
US Middle East Policy, US Turkey Policy, Russian Involvment in the Middle East