Lieutenant Colonel Albert “Jim” Marckwardt is currently serving as the Colombia Country Director at the Office of Secretary of Defense for Policy. He has served for 27 years in the United States Army and last served at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where he worked on security cooperation. Prior to that he served in various overseas assignments and leadership positions to include working with the armed forces of Mexico, serving as an exchange student in Argentine’s Command and Staff College, and deploying to Iraq twice during Operation Iraqi Freedom as an Armor Officer. During his time in Iraq he coauthored The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa, a tactical primer for junior leaders on the conduct of modern counterinsurgency. He is highly regarded for his deep understanding of the application of US security and foreign policy, advanced language capabilities, and cultural knowledge. Throughout his career, LTC Marckwardt has received multiple commendations for leadership and teamwork.