Eric Steele is an agent with the Program.
In that organization he is known as an Alpha - "a clandestine operative assigned to a unit [that] traced its lineage to World War II and existed because there were enemies that the President of the United States couldn't handle with diplomacy or all-out war. In these events the Commander in Chief needed a third option." The organization had "a proud history that took America's best soldiers and forged them into weapons ... with a singular purpose - to protect America from [those] enemies".
There is not a lot of information given about the Program but considering the fact that the people involved with the Program answer directly to the President, it is not surprising that the tactical operations center, given the odd-sounding "Cutlass Main" as its designation, is housed in the White House. There it is "staffed by the best and the brightest the United States had to offer. The techs and analysts had one job: to track and support Alphas and their keepers in the field. The techs were responsible for coordinating land, air, and sea assets as well as monitoring and maintaining the myriad of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance assets the Program used for operation". From that last statement it is apparent that Steele is not the only Alpha in the Program though how many there are is not revealed.
Prior to going to work for the Program, Steele had served his nation honorably for several years as a Green Beret, a tradition he followed from his father who was suspected KIA when Steele was nearly high school graduation. He joined shortly thereafter and until the offer to move to the Program came along he had never entertained thoughts of anything else.
"At six foot two, he moved with a predatory grace that seemed impossible for a man of his build. Steele hadn't seen the inside of a gym in years. His physique, like his light, measured step, had come from the mountains of Afghanistan, where he had hunted terrorists..."
According to Meg Harden, a very interesting and extremely capable woman that Steele meets in the first adventure and who becomes a major player with the Program soon thereafter, Steele "had the quiet reserve of a Green Beret, but the macho nonchalance of a SEAL mixed with the skill set of a Delta operator". For that reason it had been difficult for her to know his background, something he seemed pleased with.