Jim Dorschner is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel with 24 years service roughly split between aerial intelligence collection operations and, from 1991, as an intelligence officer with special forces and special operations forces. He has lived over 25 years outside the US in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

In addition to his work for Shephard, Jim's writing has appeared in numerous publications since 1989, including Jane’s Defence Weekly, Jane’s Intelligence Review, Naval Institute Proceedings, Armed Forces Journal, Foreign Service Journal, Canadian Military Journal, Military History Quarterly, The Officer (UK) and Air Forces Monthly.