Outside Event: Executive Forum with Josh Thiel, Chief Executive Officer & President for Fourth Offset

The Executive Forum is open to the public, as seating permits, and provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas and discussion of topics and issues facing business and management.

Josh Thiel is a distinguished Special Operations Commander and alumnus of West Point, with 20 years of dedicated service.  As a Special Forces Green Beret, he led 473 missions and approved over 4,000 during combat operations, including 140+ operations across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.  His nine deployments spanned countries such as Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Korea, where he led over 6,000 missions and built deep regional, interagency, and enterprise expertise.

Thiel’s operational leadership proved decisive across multiple high stakes times for the Nation. As Commander of Special Operations Task Force–Afghanistan, he designed the campaign strategy, developed new technology, and led 2,000 U.S. Soldiers, NATO SOF, and 20,000 Afghan Commandos in an effort that destroyed ISIS in Afghanistan.  His command there spanned SOF, intelligence, legal, drone, logistics, and aviation units.  Earlier, as Operations Director for Joint Special Operations Task Force–Philippines, Thiel directed joint operations, logistics, and aviation during the Typhoon Yolanda response, commanding 500 Operators, two destroyers, and an Air Force squadron.  He later led the combined 30,000 soldier U.S.–Philippine force during the three month response to the Zamboanga uprising.

Throughout his career, Thiel led strategic initiatives for Special Operations Command, integrating drone platforms, edge communications, and custom software.  He tested 6 software suites and 11 communications platforms, prioritizing fieldability and mission relevance.  His precise use of technology helped defeat ISIS in Afghanistan in four months—ending their four year territorial expansion—and set conditions for SOF readiness in Ukraine. From 2019 to 2020, as Commander of Special Operations Training at the National Training Center and Joint Readiness Training Center, Thiel modernized SOF training by rebuilding peer threat air defense scenarios, integrating cyber and social media, resulting in the certification of more than 20,000 Special Forces, PSYOP, Civil Affairs, MARSOC, Ranger, and 160th SOAR personnel.

While serving as Chief Growth Officer at Hinz Consulting, Thiel led marketing, sales, and the AI

Center of Excellence. In building the AI practice, he evaluated more than 43 software platforms for enterprise use, securing strategic partnerships with nine AI platforms and creating a new revenue stream. He directed technology selection, negotiations, and integration efforts for ten enterprise level DoD Prime vendors, ensuring smooth adoption of mission critical capabilities. Thiel later launched his own company, Fourth Offset, focused on delivering cutting edge technology for peer competition.

An accomplished author with six publications, he also serves as a judge for innovation hackathons, helping shape mission relevant technologies for warfighters.  He holds two master’s degrees and is pursuing a Doctorate in Technology at Purdue University.

LOCATION: Krannert Auditorium, Room 140