Community of Practice

Honorary Members

Ben Zweibelson

Ben Zweibelson is the Director for the U.S. Space Command’s (USSPACECOM) Strategic Initiatives Group (SIG) located at Colorado Springs, Colorado as of February 2022.

Previously, Ben was the lead design educator/facilitator for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) through the Joint Special Operations University as a full-time contractor from January 2015 through February 2022 (7 years). During that period, Ben provided design education and real-world facilitation across USSOCOM, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Government, academia and industry as well as internationally and at numerous war colleges and military programs/units.

A retired U.S. Army Infantry officer and veteran of multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ben has an undergraduate degree (BA in Fine Arts) in Graphic Design from the University of Connecticut, three different master’s degrees (Louisiana State University, Air Command and Staff College, US Army School of Advanced Military Studies) and a doctorate in Philosophy from Lancaster University (UK).

While in the Army, he earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Ranger Tab. He was awarded four Bronze Star Medals during combat deployments in addition to numerous other awards and citations.

To Design or Not to Design (Part 3): Metacognition: How Problematizing Transforms a Complex System towards a Desired State

Author: Ben Zweibelson Editor’s Note: This essay is part three of a six part series on design.…

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To Design or Not to Design (Part 2): The There Is a Problem with the Word ‘Problem;’ How Unique Vocabulary Is Essential to Conceptual Planning

Author: Ben Zweibelson Editor’s Note: This essay is part two of a six part series on design.…

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To Design or Not to Design: An Introduction

Author: Ben Zweibelson Introduction: Are the Joint Operational Planning Process (JOPP) and the Military Decision Making…

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