Executive Biography of Peter Schoomaker

General Peter J. Schoomaker, USA (Retired), is a distinguished military leader with over 35 years of service in various command and staff assignments across conventional and special operations forces.

He retired in December 2000 as the Commander-in-Chief of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and was recalled to active duty in August 2003, serving as the 35th Chief of Staff of the United States Army and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He returned to retired status in April 2007. General Schoomaker has participated in nearly every major joint contingency operation from EAGLE CLAW in Iran to the Global War on Terror.

In January 1978, he became one of the first operational officers during the formative days of 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force) and later commanded the unit from 1989 to 1992. His general officer roles included Commanding General of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) before assuming command of USSOCOM as a four-star general.

General Schoomaker was commissioned as a Distinguished Military Graduate through Army ROTC at the University of Wyoming, where he earned a B.S. in Education. He also holds an M.A. in Management from Central Michigan University and is a graduate of the USMC Amphibious Warfare School, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the National War College, and the Harvard Kennedy School Program for Executives in National Security. Post-retirement, he serves as a consultant on defense matters, a director on several public and private company boards, and a long-serving director on the board of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides education and support to the families of fallen special operators.