Yoste Strategic Partners LLC, a professional business developmental consulting practice specializing in the Army and Air National Guard marketplace, has announced the addition of the former Adjutant General for lllinois, and Master Cyberspace Officer, retired Major General Rich Neely to their team.
He joins founder Geoffrey Yoste, retired Major General Max Haston, the former Adjutant General of Tennessee and retired Colonel Billy “Murph” Murphy, from the Mississippi Air National Guard.
Neely brings a broad and extensive background at the State and National level from his 40 years in uniform. During his career, he served on active duty in the Reserves and National Guard, including two combat tours to Iraq and nearly five years assigned to the Pentagon. He is Joint qualified, and a dual status commander.
Neely served more than five years as the Adjutant General and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. As devised by the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, Neely played a critical role in support of the Republic of Poland after the unprovoked invasion of its neighbor Ukraine. Neely was awarded the Polish Commanders Cross with Silver Star Order of Merit by the President of Poland in 2022. He continues to enjoy a very close working relationship with the Polish Military and senior Polish officials.
Neely served in numerous command, staff, and operational positions, including the National Guard Bureau’s Principal Deputy Director for Air Operations, where he oversaw Intelligence, Air, Nuclear, Cyber, and Space Operations and served as the Air National Guard’s Chief Information Officer. Other National Guard Bureau assignments included serving as the Chief of Current Operations for the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, where he was the focal point for National Guard Domestic Operations/Defense Support to Civil Authorities, and crisis management for federal interagency partners in support of the 54 States and Territories.
“Major General Neely was a super TAG leading the 54 with his expertise in the world of cyber technology and will add immediate value to new and existing clients. He is a highly skilled national security leader and accomplished senior cybersecurity officer with a proven track record of safeguarding critical infrastructure.” said Geoffrey Yoste, the YSP principal.”
Representative clients include, AeroForce Logistics, Delta Access, AT&T, Patriot Taxiway Industries, The Kyle Group, Trusted Solutions, Camelot, DigiFlight
Neely is an active member of NGA US, the National Guard Association of Illinois, and a previous member of the Adjutant Generals Association of the United States.