Mark Hertling

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Mark Hertling, DBA is a globally recognized expert on leadership, crisis decision-making, and national security. Over a distinguished 40-year career in the U.S. Army, he rose to become Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army, where he led more than 90,000 soldiers and worked alongside the armed forces of 51 allied and partner nations.

A veteran of Desert Storm and multiple tours in the Iraq War, General Hertling spent more than three years in combat, including commanding the storied 1st Armored Division in northern Iraq during the surge. His leadership experience spans high-risk combat operations, complex multinational coalitions, and large, adaptive organizations under pressure.

Following his military service, Hertling transitioned to the private sector as a Senior Vice President in a major healthcare system, where he led a pioneering global medical partnership initiative and developed leadership programs that improved organizational performance and culture in healthcare. From 2014 to 2024, he served as a military and national security analyst for CNN and CNN International. Today, he is a national security analyst for MSNow, a contributing writer for The Bulwark, and co-host of the weekly Bulwark Command Post.

Hertling is also a Professor of Practice at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College, where he teaches leadership and strategy to MBA and executive audiences. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he also holds a master’s degree from Indiana University and a Doctor of Business Administration from Rollins College. He is the author of the bestselling Growing Physician Leaders and the widely acclaimed 2026 release If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.

A dynamic and engaging speaker, General Hertling delivers high-energy, practical presentations grounded in real-world experience. Blending humor, hard-earned lessons, and clear frameworks, he equips leaders to build trust, navigate uncertainty, and lead with clarity and purpose in today’s complex environment.