Ambassador at Large Dell L. Dailey was the head of the State Department's counterterrorism office from July 2007 to April 2009. After a 36 year long career with the U.S. Army, he was appointed to coordinate the State Department's counterterrorism office.

State Department

Appointed on June 22, 2007, Ambassador at Large Dell L. Dailey was the Department of State's Coordinator for Counterterrorism

Coordinator for Counterterrorism

The Coordinator for Counterterrorism heads the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, which coordinates U.S. government efforts to fight terrorism.-List of Coordinators for Combating Terrorism:-External links:**...

He is charged with coordinating and supporting the development and implementation of U.S. Government policies and programs aimed at countering terrorism overseas. As the principal advisor to the Secretary of State on international counterterrorism matters, he is responsible for taking a leading role in developing coordinated strategies to defeat terrorists abroad and in securing the cooperation of international partners to that end.

Military career

Prior to his current assignment, Ambassador Dailey served over 36 years on active duty in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

, reaching the rank of Lieutenant General. He participated in major military operations such as Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Uphold Democracy, Joint Guardian, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

After the September 11, 2001, attacks, he directed the new Center for Special Operations (CSO), the military hub for all counterterrorism - U.S. Special Operations Command, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida as well as running special operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. From 2001 to 2003, he headed the Joint Special Operations Command, a SOCOM

United States Special Operations Command

The United States Special Operations Command is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense...

 sub-unit responsible for the US military's tier-one special operations units such Delta Force

Delta Force

1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...

, Naval Special Warfare Development Group and the Intelligence Support Activity

Intelligence Support Activity

The United States Army Intelligence Support Activity , frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity or ISA, and nicknamed The Activity is a United States Army Special Operations unit originally subordinated to the US Army Intelligence and Security Command...

. Dailey was both praised and criticized for his leadership during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Although his planning helped the US effectively insert its Special Operations units into the country, Dailey faced criticism for not deploying more troops in the unsuccessful hunt to capture Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...

.

During Operation Desert Storm, Dailey, then a Lieutenant Colonel, he led Night Stalkers, an aviation team born from the failed 1980 hostage rescue attempt in Iran that flies secret missions, often at low altitudes, in the dark of night. He led one mission deep inside Iraq in order to gather soil samples needed for the US Army to determine if American tanks might get stuck during the planned assault. Dailey’s decision to personally command the mission was called “unheard of.”

Childhood and Education

Ambassador Dailey was born into an Army family in Flandreau, South Dakota

Flandreau, South Dakota

Flandreau is a city in Moody County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,341 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Moody County...

. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1971 and earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University in 1994.