The head of the Nigerien Special Forces, who was trained by and considered closely aligned with the U.S. military, endorsed a coup that overthrew Niger’s democratically elected president. CERL Executive Board member Gen. (Ret.) Joseph Votel shared his disappointment with POLITICO.

General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Army (Ret.) is President & Chief Executive Officer of Business Executives for National Security (BENS). He is a retired U.S. Army Four-Star officer and the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command – responsible for U.S. and coalition military operations in the Middle East, Levant and Central and South Asia. He is also a member of the CERL Executive Board. Read his full bio here.