COL Chakwin is the U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer Chair and Senior Army Representative at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey California. He was posted to this position after completing an assignment as the Defense and Army AttachÈ and Security Cooperation Officer at U.S. Defense AttachÈ Office, American Embassy Hanoi. He is a U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer, who has lived and studied in China and traveled throughout Asia.
He has served as the Chief, Asia Branch in the Joint Staff’s Directorate for Intelligence (J2) where he was responsible for intelligence support on key regional issues in Asia, including oversight of the Afghanistan Intelligence Working Group. Prior to that, COL Chakwin was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command, first as the Deputy Chief for Legislative Affairs (J01LA) and then in the Directorate for Strategic Planning and Policy (J5) as the Country Director for China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He also has served in Headquarters, Department of Army as the Asia-Pacific Team Chief in the Foreign Intelligence Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence (G2); and completed an earlier tour of duty in the Joint Staff, J2 as well. COL Chakwin has been an Assistant Professor at the Department of Defense’s National Defense Intelligence College and a guest lecturer to several U.S. Army War College classes. He participated in analyst support to attachÈ missions at American Consulate Hong Kong and American Embassy Beijing. COL Chakwin was commissioned in Armor and has served in a variety of Armor and Cavalry command and staff assignments both in continental U.S. (CONUS) and in the Republic of Korea. He has completed U.S. Army Ranger and Airborne courses and has prior enlisted service as a Cryptologic Voice Interceptor/ Transcriber (Chinese Mandarin) with assignments in Asia and CONUS. His military awards include the Defense and Army Meritorious Service Medals. He was awarded a Masters in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, a Masters in Business Administration from Strayer University, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of the State of New York.
