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Recognizing Colonel Suzanne C. Nielsen for Her Service

Floor Speech

By: Pat Ryan
By: Pat Ryan
Date: Sept. 12, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. RYAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of Colonel Suzanne C. Nielsen, Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

She graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in the class of 1991 with a B.S. in political science. She holds a master's degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and is an alumna of the National War College. She also has a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University. Colonel Nielsen serves on the governing council of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Upon commissioning, Colonel Nielsen moved to Augsburg, Germany, where she served as a Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Operations Officer for the 204th MI Battalion, 66th MI Brigade. She then went on to serve in many roles in the United States Military, both at home and abroad, from 1995 to 2009, including serving in Korea and Iraq. Her career at West Point began in 1999 as an Instructor and Assistant Professor with the Department of Social Sciences. Colonel Nielsen assumed the role of Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Social Sciences at West Point in 2013 and became the head of the department in 2016, where she has served since.

Colonel Nielsen has written six books, including her most recent American National Security, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2018. Over her distinguished 34-year career, Colonel Nielsen has proven herself to be a superb Soldier, an inspirational leader, and an outstanding educator. As the Head of the Department of Social Sciences for the past eight years, Colonel Nielsen's leadership has positioned the department to provide a 21st-century outlook for cadets, faculty, staff, and the Army.

Colonel Nielsen's unwavering dedication to duty and her lifelong impact on the careers of faculty members and future Army officers have contributed immeasurably to the Department of Social Sciences and the United States Military Academy. I commend Colonel Nielsen for her life- long service and wish her all the best as she transitions to civilian life and continues to serve in new ways.

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