Director of Global Strategy Decisions Group, an independent consulting consortium specializing in bringing up-to-date battlefield developments from the Ukraine conflict to the broader West. He was presented with the Verkhovna Rada medal by the Ukrainian Parliament for “Merit to the Ukrainian People.”

Paul’s writing has appeared at the The New York Times, American Spectator, Law & Liberty, Claremont Review, Reason Magazine, the American Institute for Economic Research, and at the US Military Academy at West Point. He has testified before Congress and spoken publicly at venues such as the U.S. Command and General Staff College, Kyiv National University, Harvard University, and Dartmouth College. He has given multiple TED Talks emphasizing the value of “horizontal thinking”—distributed decision-making that avoids the pitfalls of top-down, hierarchical control.

Dr. Schwennesen served 10 years in the U.S. military in weapons-systems acquisition, foreign area intelligence, and flightline operations including deployments to Central America and Afghanistan. In 2022 he volunteered in Ukraine to provide civilian aid and combat services on the frontlines against the Russian invasion. Paul developed and led advanced sniper courses in Donetsk which recruited Tier-1 American operators and trained designated marksman teams on the frontlines, including direct combat sniper overwatch roles. Paul has raised and coordinated over $1.5M in foreign donations for non-lethal defense equipment and humanitarian aid support. His first-hand war-crimes documentation has contributed to reports from the US Congress, the International Criminal Court, and Polish Agencja Wywiadu. He now leads efforts in drone deployment and counter-UAS technology in Ukraine, the United States, and select European nations.

In addition to his operational and analytical work, Paul brings a unique ability to translate frontline experience into strategic insight for senior policymakers and institutional leaders. Paul holds a doctorate in history, a master’s degree in government from Harvard University, and degrees in history and science from the United States Air Force Academy.