Colonel Phillip Zeman, USMC, is a native of Rockport, Massachusetts and was commissioned a 2dLt in the Marine Corps upon graduation from Boston University with a BA in History in 1993.
Upon completion of The Basic School and Infantry Officer’s Course, Col Zeman reported to Camp Lejeuene, North Carolina for service as a Weapons Platoon Commander with 2d Battalion, 6th Marines. After completing a shipboard deployment as part of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to the Mediterranean Sea, he posted as a Platoon Commander and Company Executive Officer in 2d Reconnaissance Battalion. Later he assumed command of a platoon in 2d Force Reconnaissance Company which he led on his second MEU deployment. During this deployment he also served as the Maritime Special Purpose Force Commander for the MEU.
In summer 1999, then Captain Zeman was sent to Okinawa, Japan to serve in the III Marine Expeditionary Force Plans shop where he participated in the planning and execution of Exercises Ulchi Focus Lens in Korea, and Exercise Cobra Gold in Thailand. In 2000, he reported to the College of the Holy Cross NROTC to serve as the Marine Officer Instructor and Battalion Advisor. As part of this tour he completed a rotation as a platoon commander at Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Virginia.
In 2003, Major Zeman posted to the 7th Marine Regiment in Twentynine Palms, California where he served as the Regimental Assistant Operations Officer. As part of 7th Marines, in February 2004 he deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Returning to the States in September, he assumed duties as the Executive Officer of 3d Battalion, 4th Marines returning to Iraq in January 2005.
Upon completion of his tour with 3d Bn, 4th Marines, Major Zeman was selected as the Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts where he received a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations (Security Studies). Upon completion of his degree, he was sent to Headquarters, Marine Corps in Washington, DC to serve as a strategic analyst in the Strategic Initiatives Group. As part of this tour, he deployed to Afghanistan where he served as the II Marine Expeditionary Brigade liaison to both Task Force Helmand (UK) and the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (UK). Later in the tour he was dual-hatted as the Executive Officer & Operations Officer for the Partner/Mentor team which stood up the Afghan 215th Corps.
In summer 2010, LtCol Zeman assumed command of Headquarters Battalion, Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Center, Twentynine Palms, California. After successfully completing Command, he was briefly posted as the Training Center's Plans Officer before receiving orders to the Joint Advanced Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va, where he received a Master of Science degree in Strategy and Campaign Planning.
Colonel Zeman was posted to the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) in July of 2014 where he served as an operational planner & operations officer within the Joint Planning Support Element (JPSE). In May of 2016 he assumed the duties as the JECC Director of Operations/J3.
Colonel Zeman is currently an Assistant Professor at the Eisenhower School, NDU, where he is the lead instructor for the Mobilization Industry Study.
Colonel Zeman is married to the former Kristin M. Thompson (Kris), of Brockton, Massachusetts, and has two children, Phillip Jakob (Jake, 13) and Grace (11).