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Executive Advisors
- Admiral
Charles Larson (USN, Ret.)
- Brigadier
General David Grange (USA, Ret.)
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- Captain
Steve Fitzgerald (USN, Ret.)
- Mr.
Frank Gren
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- Major
General Gary Harrell (USA, Ret.)
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Admiral Charles Larson (USN, Ret.)
Admiral Larson, ViaGlobal’s
Chairman of the Board, is a distinguished public servant,
leader, and corporate strategist. Admiral Larson served
for 40 years on active duty, including over 20 years
as a flag officer. He was Commander-in-Chief of the
U.S. Pacific Command, commanding 350,000 personnel and
responsible for the readiness of all U.S. forces encompassing
nearly half the globe. As senior military commander
in the Pacific, he traveled to 25 different countries
in the Asia-Pacific region and helped orchestrate the
U.S. political-military strategy in the Pacific, and
was responsible to the Secretary of Defense for collective
defense arrangements and coordination with 44 countries
in the Pacific Rim. He engaged regularly with the Joint
Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the State
Department, the White House, our embassies abroad, and
the Congress. He also served as White House Fellow,
where he worked directly for a cabinet officer as Special
Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior. He served
as Naval Aide to the President, spending two-and-one-half
years as a member of the White House staff with almost
daily contact with the President. During his years as
a flag officer, he worked in the Pentagon with the Joint
Staff and Office of the Secretary of Defense, and commanded
the U.S. Second Fleet. Admiral Larson served as Superintendent
of the U.S. Naval Academy on two separate occasions.
Since retiring from the Navy,
Larson served on corporate boards in the oil exploration
and production industry, the electric industry, and
the international construction and service industry.
He also served as a member of the National Academy of
Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms
Control, on the Board of Directors of the White House
Fellows Foundation, and as Vice Chairman of the University
System of Maryland Board of Regents. Today, among other
affiliations and memberships, Admiral Larson serves
on the Board of Directors for Northrop Grumman Corporation,
Esterline Technologies Corporation, Edge Technologies
Incorporated, U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, Atlantic
Council, as well as an active member of the Council
on Foreign Relations and a member of the Board of Trustees
for the Anne Arundel Health System.
Command Experience:
- Retired Four Star Admiral;
Former Geographic Combatant Commander of the United
States Pacific Command
- 19 years in command positions
with 14 years in command at the highest levels of
the military
School House:
- Served two terms as the U.S.
Naval Academy Superintendent
- Naval Aide to U.S. President
and White House Fellow as Special Assistant to the
Secretary of the Interior
- Pentagon Flag Officer, Joint
Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense
Combat Experience:
- Served on five nuclear submarines,
including command for three years, conducting operations
during the Cold war
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Brigadier General David Grange
(USA, Ret.)
During his military career,
General Grange served as a Ranger, Green Beret, Aviator,
Infantryman, and Delta Force member. Assignments took
him to Vietnam, Korea, Grenada, Russia, Africa, former
Warsaw Pact countries, Central and South America, and
the Middle East, to include the First Gulf War. He was
Badged from completion of S.A.S. selection and training.
General Grange also served as Deputy Commanding Officer,
U.S. Army Special Operations Command; Commander, 75th
Ranger Regiment; Deputy Commander, SFOD-D,
among others. While serving in the Pentagon as the Deputy
and Director of Army Current Operations, Readiness and
Mobilization, he was responsible for coordinating military
support within the U.S. in response to natural disasters
and domestic preparedness against acts of terrorism. Today, Grange sits on the Board
of Directors of the Society of the First Infantry Division, Pharmaceutical Product Development,
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Corporate Council, and the Eshelman Foundation. General
Grange is chief executive officer of Pharmaceutical Development, Inc., located in Wilmington, NC. Grange served for 10 years as COO and CEO of McCormick Foundation based in Chicago
after 30 years of service in the U.S. Army, with his
final command as the Commanding General of the First
Infantry Division, known as the “Big Red One.”
In that position, he served in Germany, Bosnia, Macedonia,
and Kosovo.
Command Experience:
- Infantry command at all levels
from platoon to division level
- Commander, 75th Ranger Regiment
- Commander 1st Infantry Division
- TF Eagle in Bosnia
School House:
- Consultant and Writer as
Irregular Warfare, IO, UW, and COIN Expert
Service Experience:
- Bosnia, Kosovo, Beirut, DMZ Korea, Germany, Russia, Latin America
- Infantryman, Ranger, Special
Forces, Aviator, Delta Force, and British S.A.S.
Combat Experience:
- Vietnam, Grenada, and the Middle East to include the First Gulf War
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Captain Steve Fitzgerald (USN,
Ret.)
Captain Fitzgerald retired from the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams after a 24-year career. He participated in nearly all conflicts and major combat operations since Vietnam. He is a recognized leading figure in the war on terrorism, having conducted several deployments to Central Asia. His tours include serving as Chief of Staff of the Joint Special Operations Command, Deputy Commander of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Commanding Officer SEAL Team ONE, and Squadron Commander, Operations Officer and Training Officer at several SEAL Teams.
Captain Fitzgerald led numerous joint special operations reconnaissance and direct action missions around the globe. He commanded raids during Operation Just Cause in Panama, a classified hostage rescue Incident in Central America, and a rescue and recovery operation of sensitive US backed personnel who’s lives were threatened during a coups in Haiti. After hostilities ended in the former Yugoslavia, he helped lay the framework for capture operations against Persons Indicted for War Crimes (PIFWCs) in Bosnia. He also directed the training of Sri Lankan SEAL-equivalents that contributed toward the ultimate downfall of the Tamil Tigers terrorist organization.
An expert in joint service operations, he coordinated the planning efforts for our nation’s special mission units to conduct first strike missions in Desert Storm and commanded Joint Task Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq that were charged with our nations most sensitive missions.
Today, Captain Fitzgerald teaches corporations how rapid planning, decision making, and execution techniques can be employed to enhance efficiency and profitability.
Command Experience:
- Commander, SEAL Team ONE
- Deputy Commander, Naval Special Warfare Development Group
- Tactical Commander of a 110-person National Emergency Response Team
School House:
- SEAL School Lead Instructor, Master Training Specialist, Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUDS)
Service Experience:
- Supervised 25 missions as operations chief of an elite 680-man Joint Task Force in Iraq
- Served as Chief of Staff, Joint Special Operations Command
Combat Experience:
- Panama, El Salvador, Haiti, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq
- Led the capture of 11 of 55 Iraqi regime leaders
- Supervised reconnaissance and direct action missions in Afghanistan and VIP security for numerous heads of state
Mr. Frank Gren
Frank M. Gren, Board Member
and Founder of ViaGlobal Group, is a trusted advisor
to the highest levels of federal and state governments,
investment banks, and the trial bar regarding issues
ranging from esoteric financial transactions to national
security issues.
Prior to founding ViaGlobal Group,
ViaFinance and ViaProductions, he was the Managing Director
of Galway Partners playing critical roles in complex
billion dollar transactions. Mr. Gren began his finance
career with Morgan Stanley in New York.
Mr. Gren has previously served
in the US Navy as an aviator, Head of Nominations and
Appointments for the Naval Academy, and Congress/Senate
Liaison.
Mr. Gren is a graduate
of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Georgia Institute
of Technology. He has served on the board or committees
of numerous corporate, professional and civic organizations
ranging from the U.S. Naval Institute to the Harvard
Fogg Museum.
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Major General Gary Harrell (USA,
Ret.)
Gary Harrell, Director General, retired as a Major General and the Deputy Commanding General of the United States Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, NC. Prior to this he was Deputy Chief of Staff Operations / Commander, Allied Joint Force Command-Brunssum Deployable Joint Task Force, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Response Force, Brunssum, The Netherlands. He was the NATO General responsible for the U.S. handover to NATO in Afghanistan.
MG Harrell had a distinguished career serving the U.S. Army for over 34 years. While on active duty he deployed to most every high interest location in the world. During his illustrious career, General Harrell served as Commander, Special Operations Command Central; Security Director, U.S. Central Command; Commander, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD); Deputy Commander, SFOD; Squadron Commander special operations officer and troop commander, SFOD; as well as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. General Harrell has distinguished himself in the military’s most elite and clandestine combat units.
Harrell led his troops inside Modelo Prison in Panama to rescue U.S. hostage Kurt Muse from captivity in 1989. He aided in the hunt down for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. U.S0 involvement in this mission eventually ended in Pablo Escobar’s’ death at the hand of Colombian officials. Harrell searched for mobile Iraqi Scud missile launchers in the first Persian Gulf War in 1991, was a commander during the 1993 battle of Mogadishu immortalized in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.” He commanded SOCENT during wartime operations and led the largest U.S. SF deployment since WWII into combat in Iraq. During his career he participated in several major operations, to include Operation Anaconda, Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Just Cause, Operations Desert Shield and Storm, Operation Continue Hope, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. General Harrell has served his nation with honor in the Middle East as well as around the world.
Command Experience:
- Special Forces Detachment
Commander, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment
-Delta (Delta Force) Troop and Squadron Commander
- Commander, Special Operations
Command Central
- Deputy Chief of Staff Operations/Commander,
Allied Joint Force Command
Service Experience:
- Director, Joint Security
Directorate, United States Central Command
Combat Experience:
- Grenada, Panama, Desert Shield/Storm,
Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan
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