Brig (Retd) Geoffrey Sheldon is a Wargaming Fellow at the National Defense University’s Center for Applied Strategic Learning (NDU-CASL). He joined CASL in July 2023. Geoff was commissioned as an Infantry Officer into the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment in the British Army. He served in West Germany and Berlin, Cyprus, Hong Kong, the Falkland Islands and Northern Ireland. As a brigadier, Geoff was Director Land Digitization in the UK MOD and, prior to that, Commander of the Joint Task Force in the Falkland Islands. As a colonel, Geoff commanded the Army’s Intelligence battalions and wrote and delivered a mission rehearsal exercise for the Commander and Staff of 3 (UK) Division ahead of their deployment to the Balkans. Earlier, he established the Mubarak al-Abdullah Command and Staff College in Kuwait and directed the first two courses. As a lieutenant colonel, Geoff commanded the First Battalion of his Regiment in Northern Ireland and Berlin, including mechanized battle group training in Canada and light role battlegroup training in Kenya, and led the Warfighting Team at the British Army Command and Staff College. As a major, his appointments included Chief of Staff of the British Army’s experimental Airmobile Brigade.
After leaving the British Army, Geoff joined EDS Defence Ltd. He was a Main Border Member and Account Director of the Defence Consultancy Business, including providing the joint exercises for the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters. Subsequently, he worked as an Advisor in the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates, mentoring successively the commander and staff of 5 Rashid Armored Brigade, Commander Land Forces and the Armed Forces Chief of Staff.
Geoff was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. His Batchelor’s degree was in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Magdalen College, Oxford University. He is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies and the Weapons and General command and staff courses. He has an M.A from the War Studies Department of King’s College London and is currently a PhD Candidate with this Department. Now a U.S. citizen, Geoff is married to Jennifer, who is a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department, and they have two teenage daughters.