Colonel Raymond T. Van Pelt was born 16 March 1956 in New York City. He has over 27 years of extensive experience in all facets of Department of Defense Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) / Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) and high yield Explosives policy, planning, operations, training, program management and resources management.

Colonel Van Pelt’s key assignments were Military Planner Counter Proliferation Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Chief of Operations and Plans, Exploitation Task Force and Iraq Survey Group where he was deployed as an operations and plans officer in Central Command’s (CENTCOM) effort to find, exploit and eliminate Iraq’s WMD program; Commanding Officer, Deseret Chemical Depot; Operations Officer, 20th Support Command (CBRNE) and Deputy Commanding Officer, 20th Support Command (CBRNE).

Colonel Van Pelt’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal 4th Award, Army Commendation Medal 5th Award, Iraq Campaign Medal with Arrowhead and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Colonel Van Pelt was published by the Industrial College of the Armed Forces National Defense University with: “JTF-WMD Elimination: An Operational Architecture for Future Contingencies.”

Colonel Van Pelt continues this work as Senior CBRN Advisor, 20th Support Command (CBRNE) and resides in Forest Hill, Maryland.