Roger D. Carstens
Roger Dean Carstens is an American diplomat and retired United States Army Special Forces officer serving as the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs since 2020. Education. Carstens earned a Bachelor of Science degree in diplomatic and strategic history from the United States Military Academy in 1986 and served as a Lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Special Forces. He later earned a Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College and a Master of Arts in liberal arts from St. John's College. Career. Carstens previously served as the  Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. He also acted as an advisor to the Iraqi National Counter Terror Force and a senior civilian advisor to the International Security Assistance Force. After completing a tour in Iraq, he served as a legislative liaison for the United States Secretary of Defense.