Zinke played college football at the University of Oregon and earned a B.S. degree in geology. He also has an M.B.A. and an M.S. in global leadership. He was a U.S. Navy SEAL from 1986 until 2008, retiring with the rank of commander.[3] The first Navy SEAL to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives,[4] Zinke formerly served as a member on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee.[5] As a member of Congress, Zinke supported the use of ground troops in the Middle East to combat ISIL and opposed the Affordable Care Act, various environmental regulations, and the transfer of federal lands to individual states.