Colonel James (Jim) Saenz graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1987 and was commissioned as an officer in the Corps of Engineers. In 1992, he completed qualification training and transferred to Special Forces. Colonel Saenz served in a variety of assignments throughout the world and commanded at all levels, from Detachment to Brigade. Notably, he commanded two separate Special Forces detachments, the full-accounting mission in Vietnam, and the Army’s largest overseas garrison in Germany.
Colonel Saenz’s operational experience includes Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm with the 38th Engineer Company (MGB), 7th Engineer Brigade, VII Corps; numerous counternarcotics missions in South and Central America; several disaster relief efforts in Central America; Operation Enduring Freedom; and multiple Global War on Terror activities at home and abroad.
He is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, the Special Forces Detachment Officer Qualification Course (distinguished honor graduate), the U.S. Army Ranger Course (distinguished honor graduate), the Command and General Staff Officers Course, the Joint and Combined Warfighting School, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and Senior Executive Programs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and at the Kansas University School of Business.
Colonel Saenz retired from active duty in 2017 and now works in the Washington DC area. He holds two masters degrees, speaks Spanish, and volunteers throughout the community. He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife, Leslie, and their two sons.
