Dr. Richard Wolfel Professor of Geography Center for Environmental and Geographical Science richard.wolfel [at] westpoint.edu About Education Research & Publications Dr. Richard Wolfel is a geography professor and the Chair of Cultural Analysis in the Center for Languages, Cultures and Regional Studies at the United States Military Academy. He is a 2001 graduate of Indiana University. His current research focuses on cross-cultural competence assessment and education, inner city urban dynamics, urban vulnerability, public sentiment and military operations, and nationalism and the urban built environment. Dr. Wolfel traveled to Korea in support of the Second Infantry Division’s REAL warrior program. He also served as a consultant/advisor with the CJ-5 (Future Plans) and CJ-9 (Civilian-Military Operations) of CJTF-1, First Cavalry Division, Regional Command East, Bagram, Afghanistan, in support of Operation UNIFIED ENDEAVOR. In 2010, Dr. Wolfel traveled to Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo to conduct human terrain mapping for AFRICOM and Special Operations Command, Africa, in support of Operation OLYMPIC CHASE. Recently, Dr. Wolfel has conducted fieldwork in Delhi, India, in support of the Minerva Program and Army Research Lab. Dr. Wolfel has published extensively in the areas of political geography, population geography, urban geography, cross-cultural competence, India, Europe and Post-Soviet Central Asia. B.S. in Social Studies Education - West Chester University of PennsylvaniaM.A. in Geography - University of CincinnatiPh.D. in Geography - Indiana University Bloomington Research Interests Political Geography, Nationalism, Urban Vulnerability, Post-Soviet Spaces Current Research Modeling Societal Vulnerability and Resiliency, Geopolitics and Sociolingustics, Hybrid Conflicts and Territoriality Selected Publications Wolfel, Richard, Christiana Fairfield, Amy Richmond, Rick Grannis, Scott Womack, Daniel Moriarity, Pete Grazaitis, Elizabeth Wu. (2024). “Where Did You Hear That? Narrative Competition and Societal Instability in Burkina Faso.” Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies. 52(3): 61-89.Fairfield, Christiana, Richard Wolfel, Amy Richmond. (2024). “They Didn’t Pave Paradise: Grassroots Urban Development in Switzerland.” Middle States Geographer. 56: 93-106.Wolfel, Richard. (2022). “Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs: The Use Of Billboards As A Tool Of Political Penetration In Karimov’s Uzbekistan.” Middle States Geographer. 54: 29-38.Wolfel, Richard, Amy Richmond and Jason Ridgeway. (2021). “Dense Urban Environments: The Crucible of Multidomain Operations.” Military Review. Jan-Feb 2021. 22-27.Wolfel, Richard. (2020). “The Diamond in the Rough: Urban Slum Development in Delhi, India.” Pennsylvania Geographer. 58(2) 18-33.Wolfel, Richard. (2020). “All the World’s A Stage: Aesthetics, Competing Stories and Slum Clearance in Delhi, India.” Geographical Bulletin. 61(2).