Colonel O’Connell was commissioned as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at the University of Rhode Island in 1968 with a BA in Economics. He later earned a Masters Degree in Management from Central Michigan University while attending the Army’s Command and General Staff College. While at the Naval War College, he also earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations, while graduating with the highest distinction.
After an Infantry tour with the 4th Armored Division in Erlangen, Germany, Colonel O’Connell completed tactical intelligence and advisor training and served in Southeast Asia as a field advisor to Vietnamese forces, including duties in the PHOENIX Program, and was awarded three medals for valor. After serving as a Combat Intelligence instructor and Company Commander at the Army Intelligence Center, Colonel O’Connell spent three years with the 82nd Airborne Division as an intelligence officer at battalion, brigade, and division levels. Colonel O’Connell then spent two years on exchange duty with British Army at the Joint Service Intelligence Centre in the United Kingdom, where he commanded the Foreign Armed Services Branch, allied liaison and Special Operations personnel on tactical and strategic collection against the Warsaw Pact nations. Colonel O’Connell was then assigned as the Senior Intelligence Officer to 1st SFOD-DELTA (DELTA FORCE) from 1980 to 1983. He then commanded the 313th Military Intelligence Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division for two years. After attendance at the Naval War College, he returned to Fort Bragg as the Director of Intelligence, J2, Joint Special Operations Command, and continued in the Special Operations Intelligence field with a two and half year brigade command of an Army Special Mission Unit. After a short tour as the Deputy Director of Special Operations Command’s Washington Office, he was selected as an original member of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Military Affairs in 1993. He retired in 1995 after 27 years of service. Colonel O’Connell’s career included participation in four conflicts: Vietnam, Granada, Panama, and Southeast Asia; as well as various assignments in 33 countries. After retirement, he served with the Raytheon Corporation for seven years, as a Senior Manager. He sat as a Working Member of the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Commission for Raytheon. He was nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the US Senate in 2003 to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. In this position he had oversight of 52,000 US Special Operations Command personnel, and an 11 Billion dollar annual budget, including Defense Counter Narcotics Program Management. Upon leaving the Pentagon in April, 2007, he received the Department’s highest award for civilian service, as well as that of the US Coast Guard.
Some of Colonel O’Connell’s military awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legions of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals (1 for Valor), Defense Meritorious Service Medals, Army Meritorious Service medals, five Army Commendation Medals (2 for Valor), the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, Master Parachutist and Expert Infantry Badges, and numerous foreign awards. He is a member of the US Army Military Intelligence Hall of Fame and the University of Rhode Island Military Hall of Fame.
Mr. O’Connell has been an active Defense Consultant since 2007, serving as a US Government Consultant for Special Operations, sitting on multiple corporate and advisory boards and consulting for US commercial, defense, intelligence, and law firms. He has authored numerous writings, including classified works.
