Raised in Allegan, Michigan, Robert Wallace attended Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio graduating in May 2003 with a BA in International Studies. From 2003 until 2006, Mr. Wallace worked as a high school teacher and youth pastor in southwest Michigan. From 2006 until 2008 Mr. Wallace worked in film and television production and then for Visionworks Consulting, Inc. until his admission to Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in October 2008.
On 12 December 2008, Mr. Wallace graduated with Officer Candidate Class 199 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, graduating from The Basic School in October 2009 and the Infantry Officers Course in April 2010. Assigned to 3d Battalion, 4th Marines in Twentynine Palms, California, he served as a Rifle Platoon Commander and Advisor Team Executive Officer deploying to Afghanistan in 2011. He promoted to Captain in 2013 and deployed to Afghanistan again as Assistant Operations Officer.
In December 2013, Capt Wallace reported to Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport to serve as Military Training Officer for Naval Construction Group TWO and Military Advisor to 22d Naval Construction Regiment. In these roles he prepared Navy Seabee Battalions for deployment and helped plan the USMC response to Russian aggression in the Baltic States. In May 2016 Capt Wallace reported back to 7th Marine Regiment in Twentynine Palms, California, where he served as the Current Operations Officer for the Regiment.
In November 2016, Capt Wallace took command of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines. He deployed the company to Iraq in October 2017, supporting the 7th Iraqi Army Division in their counter-ISIS campaign. He then redeployed his company to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in early 2018, supporting Task Force Southwest and the Afghan Army 215th Corps in their war against the Taliban.
Upon return, Capt Wallace promoted to Major in October 2018 and served as the 7th Marines Future Operations Officer before attending Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California for his Master of Arts in International Affairs with assignment as a Regional Affairs Officer, Europe/Eurasia. He graduated with distinction in September 2020 with a thesis exploring Russian Foreign Policy expressed through military diplomacy in Turkey. He then reported to the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany where he served as the Director for the Program on Terrorism and Security Studies from 2020 until 2023.
In August 2023, Maj Wallace returned to Twentynine Palms and checked in to 1st Battalion, 7th Marines to serve as the Battalion Executive Officer. During that tour he deployed as OIC for a battalion detachment to train with the Filipino 1st Marine Brigade in Mindanao, Philippines. In July 2024, he reported to Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group where he promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and currently serves as the Operations Officer.
LtCol Wallace has graduated from the Martial Arts Instructor Course, State Department Tactical Conflict Analysis and Planning Framework Course, Advanced Combat Engagement Course, Advisor Training Course and Advisor Training Group Gold Course, Expeditionary Warfare School, Operations and Tactics Instructor Course, and Marine Corps Command and Staff College and holds an additional Master of Arts in Theology from Liberty University.