Richard “Ross” Coffman is a retired U.S. Army Lt. General & President of Forward Edge-AI, Inc. He leads innovation in national security, AI-enabled systems, and cross-sector tech integration. He has over 30 years of leadership in defense, technology, and transformation. Coffman served as Deputy Commanding General of Army Futures Command, shaping the Army’s strategy and integration of technologies. Directed the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team. He has held senior roles including Chief of Staff for a 48,000-person organization, Brigade Commander, and Deputy Director of the 1st Infantry Division. He led large-scale operations, had budgets up to $800M, and multinational efforts in the U.S. and EMEA. Coffman bridges public and private sector to scale technology and execute transformation. He is the founder of Coffman & Associates with degrees from Centre College & Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and is a National Security Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School.