Admiral Eric T. Olson
U.S. Navy (Ret.)

  • Navy Admiral (Ret.), first Navy SEAL to be promoted to this rank

  • Former head of the United States Special Operations Command

  • Adjunct Professor and Senior Research Scholar

eric.png
 
 

Admiral Eric Thor Olson currently serves as an Adjunct Professor and Senior Research Scholar in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, a Director of Iridium Communications, Inc. and Under Armour, Inc., a senior advisor to the Department of Homeland Security, and a Director of the non-profit Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Admiral Olson retired from military service as a Navy Admiral in 2011, the first Navy SEAL to be promoted to that rank. His career culminated as the head of the United States Special Operations Command, where he was responsible for the mission readiness and global deployment of more than 65,000 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations forces, and for managing an annual budget in excess of $10 billion dollars.

Admiral Olson was highly decorated for both service and valor, and was selected as a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School.