A Milwaukee native and graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, our Founder served just over eight years on active duty as an Air Force Intelligence Officer and completed his service in Air Force Special Operations Command within a selectively manned unit. In this capacity, he was assessed and selected for service in an Army Special Mission Unit where he served as a Mission Commander and acting Troop Commander leading an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance maneuver element of a Joint Task Force.
Our Founder’s most formative experience during this assignment was the challenge, opportunity, and privilege of leading a small team of highly trained men and women conducting low-visibility, national level missions against a near-peer adversary in the Middle East region during a time of significant unrest. He witnessed firsthand the impact of a small, agile team able to move in the “gray space” as his team’s efforts were routinely briefed to the 4-star commander of U.S. Central Command, Central Intelligence Agency counterparts, congressional staffers, and even the host nation’s prime minister.
Furthermore, he witnessed legacy SOF form and art be challenged in the rapidly changing operational environment, and recognized the need for signature management and signature reduction among SOF in the context of Strategic Competition, especially as it concerned the role and effects of technology. This applied not only to offensive but defensive use as a means to safeguard critical missions and personnel beyond traditional operational security and force protection measures.
Upon leaving active duty, our Founder needed an adequate outlet for his knowledge, skills, and abilities and founded Signature Management Unit, LLC in 2020 as a nod to his fundamentally life-shaping experience. His time conducting national-level missions directed by the Secretary of Defense is the foundation upon which SMU, LLC has been built.
Since that time, we have partnered with U.S. Special Operations Forces—including PJs, TACPs, CCTs, SERE, and Air Force Special Warfare teams—through government-funded engagements. Our specialty: discreet, mission-focused experiences in the art of signature reduction, tailored to current and emerging operational needs. As with the OSS and other SMU elements before us, we are intentionally lean and compact, aiming to deliver precise, rapid, and discreet support to those who serve in dynamic and ambiguous environments.
We are not the experts in signature management and signature reduction. We do not have all the answers. What we have is particular experience advising, assisting, and accompanying SOF in their unique circumstances towards increased freedom of maneuver in semi-permissive or increasingly challenging environments. We are your partners for the foundational digital and physical skills and mindset for Strategic Competition.
Thank you for supporting us at Signature Management Unit.

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