Jeffrey S. Buchanan

As a lieutenant general, Jeffrey S. Buchanan commanded the US Army North (Fifth Army), He expertly led both soldiers and civilians in complex combat and humanitarian operations all around the world. Buchanan commanded troops at every level, from platoons (40 soldiers) to theater armies (more than 50,000 troops from all branches of the military). He served four combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. From 2016-2019, Buchanan led the military response in support of FEMA for five major hurricanes (Matthew, Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Florence). He also led more than 6,000 soldiers and marines supporting the Department of Homeland Security for security of the southwest border.

Buchanan’s rare and unique leadership experience and training comes from hard-won time on battlefields and in crisis situations. Both the Secretaries of Defense and the Army recognized Buchanan for his exceptional leadership and critical contributions to national security. The Surgeon General of the United States and the Governor of Puerto Rico presented Buchanan special awards for his selfless service and leadership successes in saving lives in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

After a 37-year career in the Army, Buchanan retired from active duty in September, 2019.

Today, Buchanan teaches, trains and consults on leadership in virtual and in-person workshops. He has influenced the leadership style of thousands, ranging from from MBA students at Georgetown and Tulane to incident management leaders of FEMA, from emerging leaders on the Pacific islands of Guam and American Samoa to community leaders in rural Zimbabwe, and from military leaders to law enforcement officials to college football coaches.

In January 2021, The US House of Representatives asked Buchanan to analyze the security challenges and cultural and leadership failures of the US Capitol Police. He spent six weeks in Washington DC and met with numerous law enforcement and intelligence leaders, analyzing everything from infrastructure to cyber security. Buchanan led three presentations to Congressional Members from both political parties and was subsequently requested to testify before the House Administration Committee regarding what he learned and recommended to change. As a result, Congress passed legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support to fulfill Buchanan’s recommendations and enhance security of the Capitol.

Buchanan currently serves as a Senior Fellow for National Defense University and a Senior Mentor for the Army.

Buchanan earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and a Master of Arts in Leadership Development from the US Military Academy. He was selected as the distinguished honor graduate of a year-long international security fellowship at the Geneva Center for Security Policy in Switzerland.

He serves on the boards of directors for Worldmaker International/The National Resilience Institute, 360 VA, Arizona State Parks and Trails, and is a board advisor for the Autonomy Institute.

Buchanan was also recognized as a Distinguished Eagle Scout, an honor that only about 1 in 1,000 Eagle Scouts ever receive.

Buchanan has appeared on numerous national and international television shows on all of the major US networks (CNN, FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, CSPAN). He has been interviewed and quoted in more than 50 newspapers including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, and USA Today. AP, AFP, Reuters, the BBC, and Al Jazeera have all sought his expertise and quoted him.