General (Retired) Paul Selva

Chief Strategy Officer

General (Retired) Paul Selva is a Co-Founder and the Chief Strategy Officer at DEFCON AI. He is an operating partner at Red Cell, DEFCON AI’s parent company, in their National Security Practice. Gen. Selva retired from the United States Air Force in July 2019 as the 10th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking officer in the United States Air Force and the second highest-ranking military officer in the nation, a position he held from July 2015. Gen. Selva was previously appointed commander of United States Transportation Command, responsible for overseeing all global air, land, and sea transportation systems for the entire Department of Defense. Prior to this role, he was the commander of Air Mobility Command, and spent 39 years holding numerous positions of staff, leadership, and command in nearly every operational tier of the Air Force.

Gen. Selva earned a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master’s degree from Abilene Christian University, and a master’s degree from Auburn University. Gen. Selva has received numerous honors and awards, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; the Eisenhower Award; two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals; the Defense Superior Service Medal; two Legion of Merit Awards; and the State Department Distinguished Honor Award.