Colonel Chris Vitale

Colonel (COL) Chris Vitale currently serves as the Director of both Army Climate Change and Army Operational Energy Directorates. He is the principal organizational lead for all actions and activities for operational energy and activities outlined in the Army Climate Strategy. With guidance from the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Installations, Energy and Environment (ASA IE&E), he works independently to drive climate change strategy and operational energy action across the Army.

COL Vitale has over 23 years of service as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. In previous assignments he has served as the operations officer at battalion, brigade, and division levels and has commanded troops from the platoon through the battalion level. Over the course of his career, COL Vitale served in numerous Army organizations to include the 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Infantry Division, 10th Mountain Division, and the 1st Ranger Battalion. He deployed to combat six times between Iraq and Afghanistan and also led units in support of Customs and Border Patrol operations along the southwestern United States border. Additionally, COL Vitale also served in the Department of State Counterterrorism Bureau working on policy development efforts surrounding unmanned systems. COL Vitale holds a Masters of Arts in Management and Leadership from Webster University, a Masters of Strategic Studies with a certificate in National Security Policy from the United States Army War College, and completed the Climate Change and Energy Policy Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Executive Education