Andy Milburn is a retired Marine Special Operations and Infantry officer with 31 years of service from Private to Colonel.Milburn was born in Hong Kong and grew up in the United Kingdom. While at university, he traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and Asia - to include a solo trip across Iran at the height of that country's war with Iraq.After graduating from London University with a law degree, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps as an infantryman. He was later commissioned and has led Marines in combat at every rank: from Mogadishu to Fallujah. In 2016 he commanded a special operations task force comprising eight different countries against the Islamic State in Iraq.He retired in 2019 as the chief of staff of Special Operations Command Central, the headquarters responsible for US special operations throughout the Middle East. In 2022, he founded the Mozart Group - a volunteer organization whose mission was to provide front line training for Ukrainian soldiers and to evacuate civilians from areas under Russian bombardment.

He is author of a critically acclaimed memoir **When the Tempest Gathers,** winner of the Marine Heritage Foundation 'Eugene Sledge' award, and a number of articles for national publications. He co-hosts a podcast called 'Eyes On' which focuses on national security issues in the news.Andy Milburn now lives in Tampa with his wife Nadiia and their children.