Brian L. Steed is a US Army officer with more than twenty-eight years of uniformed experience in artillery, armor, cavalry (reconnaissance and security), international engagement, and professional military education. He is currently an assistant professor of Military History at the US Army Command and General Staff College and a Middle East Foreign Area Officer. He served eight and a half consecutive years in the Middle East including assignments in the Levant (Jordan and Israel), Mesopotamia, and the Arabian Peninsula.He served briefly in Iraq in 2005, a full year in 2010-2011, and again December 2014-February 2015.He was a Jordanian Army Officer as part of the Military Personnel Exchange Program for two and a half years giving him an immersed perspective in Arab culture and a liaison to the Israel Defense Force providing another immersed experience from a different regional perspective.
He has written numerous books, articles, and papers on military theory, military history, and cultural awareness. His most recent published books include ISIS: An Introduction and Guide to the Islamic State, Voices of the Iraq War: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life (Voices of an Era), and Bees and Spiders: Applied Cultural Awareness and the Art of Cross-Cultural Influence.
Since returning from Iraq in March 2015 he has been an internationally acclaimed and much sought-after speaker on several topics including a theory for successfully engaging in 21st century conflict that he calls "Maneuver in the Narrative Space," a theory of cross-cultural competency that he calls "Bees and Spiders," and "Understanding ISIS in their Cultural and Historical Context."
Brian is also a PhD student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).