Colonel Scott Trahan is the U.S. Army Chair at the U.S. Marine Corps War College. After enlisting in 1987 and serving as an intelligence analyst for several years, Colonel Trahan was awarded an Army ROTC scholarship. He earned a Bachelor of Science in political science and his commission as an Infantry Officer from Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina in July 1995.

During Desert Storm, Colonel Trahan served as the senior intelligence analyst for 3rd Special Forces Group. During the war on terror, he commanded an Airborne Infantry company in Afghanistan and the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 82d Airborne Division in Iraq. Returning to Afghanistan as a major, Colonel Trahan was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Operations for ISAF Joint Command (IJC). His last combat tour was as the Deputy Commander, Train, Advise, Assist, Command – North (TAAC-N) Resolute Support.

His joint assignments include aide-de-camp to Commander, Joint Task Force Katrina in
2005; Deputy Chief of Operations, IJC; Observer / Trainer with Joint Staff J7, Deployable Training Division where he was also a facilitator and small group leader for the Joint Operations Module within the Chairman’s professional military education program (CAPSTONE, KEYSTONE, and PINNACLE); Deputy Commander, TAAC-N; and Directory of Operations J3/5/7, Joint Force Headquarters – National Capital Region. Colonel Trahan has led and commanded Infantrymen at the Platoon through Battalion level. As a staff officer, he has served on the Joint Staff, Department of the Army Staff and all echelons at the Corps level and below.

Colonel Trahan’s military education includes an Army War College Fellowship at the College of William and Mary with a concentration in national security policy formulation and implementation; Commanding General Staff College; Combined Arms and Service Staff School, and the Infantry Advanced and Basic Courses.

He holds a Master’s of Science in Leadership and Management from Webster University.