With over 32 years of distinguished service in Army and Joint assignments, much of it as a Green Beret, Lieutenant General (Retired) Francis (Fran) Beaudette has served in elite organizations at every level, from a 12-man Special Forces A-team to commanding the 36,000-strong U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). His recent roles have included serving as the Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division, Assistant Commanding General of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Commanding General of 1st Special Forces Command, and Commanding General of USASOC.
A fluent French speaker, Fran has traveled to over 85 countries. His deployments include assignments as part of the Gulf War, noncombatant evacuation operations in Sierra Leone and the Congo, peacekeeping in Kosovo, and multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Jordan during times of war and crisis.
Fran graduated as a distinguished academic and military scholar from The Citadel and holds advanced degrees in Military Arts and Science from the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
An avid outdoorsman, Fran and his wife of 35 years, Liz, reside in Charleston, SC, and have raised three children—one a Special Forces military spouse, one serving in Special Forces, and one working in academia.
