As Deputy Director of Special Operations and Mission Support, George supports the supervision of multiple high-performing teams training foreign military, acting as a liaison between foreign military and Arcanum’s Senior Vice President of Special Operations and Mission Support. He is responsible for leading special projects, planning project activities and managing personnel. He represents Arcanum with a variety of senior command, Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community, as well as other non-DoD organizations and foreign allies.
George Berndt is a distinguished U.S. Army Green Beret with 25 years of service responding to crises and supporting dynamic U.S. overseas contingency operations.
Prior to joining Arcanum, George led diversified teams ranging from 12 to 450 personnel conducting Special Operations in austere overseas environments at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.
During his tenure at 10th Special Forces Group in Ft. Carson, CO, George led multi-national teams conducting Special Operations in the USEUCOM and USCENTCOM Areas of Responsibility. George recently served as the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan Sensitive Activities Officer in Charge as the lead integrator of specialized capabilities across Afghanistan and primary Sensitive Activities coordinator with interagency partners and external supporting commands.
George has a successful background of impactful leadership in areas of operations, critical thinking, operational planning, and training oversight. Some of his select professional history includes regularly coordinated activities with multi-national partners and senior leaders in the conduct of operations, managing the annual training of 850 U.S. Special Forces students, and supporting USSOCOM in rapid equipment fielding initiatives.
George holds a Master of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science and Law from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His professional military education includes numerous specialized training courses, such as the Joint Electromagnetic Warfare Theater Operations Course and the Advanced Special Operations Techniques Managers Course.
He is based in the Company’s Washington, DC office.