U.S. Army Lt. Col. Derik F. von Recum joined the Naval War College after tours with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the German Command and Staff College as an exchange lecturer and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. He finished his student studies in November 2018 and is now a military professor in the Joint Military Operations department. Lt. Col. von Recum holds a master's degree from State University of New York at Potsdam.