Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) Beck was born in Fremont, California and raised in Modesto, California. He attended Officer Candidate School in 2001 and 2002, graduating with honors in August 2002. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis, he received a commission in the Marine Corps in May 2003. LtCol Beck graduated with honors from The Basic School in March 2004 and graduated second in his class from the Adjutant Course in June 2004.
LtCol Beck served as Adjutant, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division aboard Camp Pendleton, California from June 2004 to July 2007. He deployed to Ar Ramadi, Al Anbar Province, Iraq from March to September 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 04-06 and to Okinawa, Japan and Southeast Asia from July 2006 to January 2007 as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
LtCol Beck attended the University of Utah S. J. Quinney College of Law in Salt Lake City, Utah under the Excess Leave Program from August 2007 to May 2010. During the summers of 2008 and 2009, he served as Assistant Trial Counsel, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California and as an administrative law officer, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. During his final year of law school, LtCol Beck led a group on the Global Justice Project Iraq focusing on constitutional issues, advised first year legal research/writing students, and served as the 15th Circuit Governor on the American Bar Association Law Student Division Board of Governors. He also interned with the United States District Court for the District of Utah and the Utah Crime Victims Legal Clinic. In May 2010, LtCol Beck graduated with honors from law school and received a Juris Doctorate degree. In October 2010, he graduated with honors from the Basic Lawyer Course, Naval Justice School, Newport, Rhode Island, and was subsequently admitted to the Utah State Bar.
In November 2010, LtCol Beck reported to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command (MAGTFTC), Twentynine Palms, California, where he served as Defense Counsel. In November 2011, he became Officer-in-Charge of the Installation & Civil Law Section and revived the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) program in order to prosecute violations of Federal law aboard the Combat Center. From April 2012 to July 2013, LtCol Beck served as Trial Counsel and SAUSA. From August 2013 to July 2014, he served as Executive Officer, Headquarters Battalion, MCAGCC, MAGTFTC.
LtCol Beck attended The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS), U.S. Army as part of the 63d Graduate Course from August 2014 to May 2015. LtCol Beck earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree with a specialty in Criminal Law and received the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Paul W. Brosman Award for the Highest Standing in Criminal Law. Upon graduation, LtCol Beck was designated a military justice specialist (4409).
In May 2015, LtCol Beck reported to Judge Advocate Division, Headquarters Marine Corps, where he served as Deputy Branch Head, Military Justice Branch, responsible for handling policy, legislative matters, and reporting requirements related to military justice.
From June 2017 to June 2018, LtCol Beck served as Deputy Legal Counsel and Litigation Fellow, Office of Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he was responsible for all litigation matters involving the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Directors and Directorates of the Joint Staff, as well as legal oversight of Joint Staff information management.
From June 2018 to July 2020, LtCol Beck served as Assistant General Counsel for Operations, Office of the General Counsel, Defense Intelligence Agency, where he advised on the Department of Defense’s most sensitive clandestine human intelligence (HUMINT) operations, with a particular focus on East Asia.
In August 2020, LtCol Beck reported to the Legal Services Support Section, Marine Corps Installations Command Pacific, aboard Marine Corps Base Butler, Okinawa, Japan, as the Regional Defense Counsel, Pacific Region.
LtCol Beck is a graduate of Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School (Distance Education Program) and a distinguished graduate of Marine Corps Command and Staff College (Distance Education Program).
LtCol Beck’s personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.