Speakers

Michael L. Smith
Deputy Program Director, Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI)
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, US Department of State


Mr. Smith has served since August 2005 as the GPOI Deputy Program Director as well as the Department Political-Military Planning Subject Matter Expert, the Bureau Africa Peace and Security Affairs Subject Matter Expert, and the Department 's AFRICOM Coordinator.  He comes to these positions after several years of related work both inside and outside the State Department including:

• US Advisor to the African Union (AU) for Darfur Crisis Planning where he was the chief US planner and liaison at the AU Commission in Addis Ababa for the planning of AMIS (African Union Mission in Darfur, Sudan) and Chief of Staff for AMIS planning team comprised of 19 AU, EU, UN, U.S., French, UK, and Canadian planners.
• US Advisor for Defense and Security Affairs, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) where he was:
  • The US Advisor, Planning, for the ECOWAS Mission in Cote d’Ivoire (ECOMICI)
  • The US and International Contact Group on Liberia Representative on the Joint Verification Team (JVT)-Liberia
  • The US Advisor to the ECOWAS Mission in Liberia (ECOMIL)
• Program Director, US Army Eisenhower National Security Series
• Senior Joint and Army Doctrine Advisor, U.S.-Nigeria Civil-Military Assistance Program
• Assistant Dean, Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) and Chair, Defense Economics Department, (ACSS)

Previously in 1999, Mr. Smith retired as a colonel after 24 years in the US Army.  His experiences in the Army included airborne, ranger, light infantry, and Foreign Area Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa. He was selected to command a light infantry battalion and a light infantry brigade.  As Director of the U.S. Army’s Joint and Army Doctrine Directorate, he led the development of 29 of the US military’s 100 joint doctrine publications.  Mr. Smith also developed and managed the policies and procedures for the development of all U.S. Army doctrine.

A 1975 West Point graduate, Colonel Smith also earned a Master of Military Arts and Sciences in Strategy and a Master of Arts in Political Geography.

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