Dr. Mark Read

Colonel Mark Read was commissioned as an infantry officer upon graduation from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. He holds a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from The Pennsylvania State University, where he studied climate variability and change, and the security implications of climate change. Colonel Read has spent much of his Army career in a variety of operational infantry units in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. He has also served on faculty at West Point, where he is currently Professor, USMA, and Head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering. He recently spent six months at U.S. Africa Command helping the command understand and plan for the security implications of climate change in Africa. His academic interests include climate variability and change, environmental security, and military geography.