Staats military education consists of Quartermaster Corps company grade education, Joint and Combined Warfighting School, United States Army Command and General Staff College (Pershing Award), and the United States Army War College.

Staats received a Ph.D. in Operations Research in 1994[5] from Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Hertz Fellow,[6] and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College.

In civilian life Dr. Staats has been a contributor at think-tanks in the DC metro area for 25 years.

He is a previous member of the Board of Trustees for the parent organization for the Texas A&M University system.

His book contributions and published articles largely focus on artificial intelligence and the theoretical value of information.