Dave Richard Palmer (born May 31, 1934) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General who served as the 53rd Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1986–1991), military historian and author, and former President of Walden University.

He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the armor branch and embarked on a military career that spanned the Cold War era.

[3] During his military career, Palmer received a master's degree in history from Duke University.

His career saw two tours in Vietnam; one of these consisted of serving on the faculty at the Vietnamese National Military Academy.

[5] Palmer's staff and academic assignments included a tour as an instructor in the Department of Military Art and Engineering at West Point where he wrote The River and the Rock in 1969.