Robert D. Steele

Robert David Steele
Robert David Steele
Born	(1952-07-16) July 16, 1952 (age 65) New York, New York
Occupation	Open-source intelligence advocate
Political party	Independent (2016–) Previous affiliations: Libertarian Party (2015–2016) Reform Party (–2015)
Website	robertdavidsteele.com

Robert David Steele (born July 16, 1952) is a former military intelligence officer, former Central Intelligence Agency officer, and co-founder of the Marine Corps Intelligence Center (now a Command). He is widely known for his promotion of open-source intelligence (OSINT). He was a candidate for the Reform Party's nomination for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election until February 23, 2012. Steele has been labeled a conspiracy theorist for publicly promoting a theory claiming NASA runs a secret child slave colony on Mars.

Raised in Colombia and Southeast Asia (including Thailand and South Vietnam) by an American-born father (a petroleum engineer) and a Colombian-born mother, Steele completed his secondary education in Singapore in 1970. He received a B.A. in political science from Muhlenberg College in 1974 and an M.A. in international relations from Lehigh University in 1976. From 1975 to 1979, he served in the United States Marine Corps as an officer variously assigned to infantry, ground intelligence and security/personnel duties in Colombia, El Salvador, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Panama and the Philippines. Following his service obligation, he remained in the Marine Forces Reserve until 1996 as an adjunct faculty member at Marine Corps University and developer of the Marine Corps Master Intelligence Plan, ultimately attaining the rank of major.