David P. Fridovich is a Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....

 and Green Beret

Green beret

The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of World War II. It is still worn with pride by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course and any member of the British Military who has passed the All Arms Commando Course.There are certain other military...

 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...

 and Deputy Commander of the U.S. military's United States Special Operations Command

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...

 that directs special operations campaigns.

Fridovich is a 1974 graduate of Knox College where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon

Tau Kappa Epsilon

Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...

. He received his masters degree in Political Science from Tulane University

Tulane University

Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...

 in 1976.

Military career

After graduation, Fridovich was commissioned an Infantry Second Lieutenant. He served as a Rifle and Reconnaissance Platoon Leader,
Company Executive Officer, and Light Infantry Company Commander with the 172nd Light Infantry Brigade, Fort Richardson, Alaska. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Military Science at Norwich University

Norwich University

Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of...

, where he trained the Mountain Cold Weather Cadre and Rescue Team.

In 1984, Fridovich completed the US Army Special Forces (SF) Detachment Officer’s Qualification course and reported to the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis, Washington, where he commanded both an SF Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) and Bravo (ODB) in the 3rd Batallion before becoming the Battalion Operations Officer

Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...

. He commanded the Combined/Joint Special Operations Task Force

Task force

A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...

 in Operation Joint Forge, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, from January through July 2000.

In 2005, Fridovich was appointed Commander, Special Operations Command, Pacific. He subsequently assumed duties as the Director, Center for Special Operations, United States Special Operations Command in 2007. In 2010 he was appointed as Deputy Commander, United States Special Operations Command.