From 1979–99, Schmitt served in the United States Air Force as a judge advocate. He graduated first in class from the Naval War College in 1996, and his operational law experience includes service in both
Operation Provide Comfort and
Operation Northern Watch. In 1999, he was appointed Professor of International Law at the
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany, eventually becoming Dean. He was subsequently Chair of Public International Law at
Durham University and at the
University of Exeter. He returned to the Naval War College as Chairman of the Stockton Center and
Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law in 2011. Schmitt retired from the Naval War College in 2019 and is now Professor Emeritus at the institution. In 2020, he joined the faculty of the
University of Reading School of Law. In addition to his position at the University of Reading, he is G. Norman Lieberman Distinguished Scholar at West Point,
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Texas, Charles H. Stockton Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the United States Naval War College's Stockton Center for International Law, and Senior Fellow at the
NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. Schmitt serves as General Editor of Oxford University Press' [Lieber Studies] series, and he is Editor Emeritus of International Law Studies, a Fellow of the
Royal Society of the Arts and a Member of the
Council on Foreign Relations. He sits on the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Law. In addition to his academic pursuits, Schmitt serves as Director of Legal Affairs for Cyber Law International, which offers international cyber law capacity-building seminars for government officials around the world. Its programs are sponsored by numerous nations and international organizations and certified as Executive Education by the University of Reading. The firm also engages in cyber law and conflict law consultancy. ==Legal positions==