Drew Blakeney

Drew G. Blakeney currently works as an independent defense consultant supporting U.S. Army exercises at the brigade, division, and corps levels. He trains Army officers and non-commissioned officers in working with foreign governments and with the civilian elements of the U.S. Government. Mr. Blakeney served as a United States Foreign Service Officer from 1993 to 2020. He retired from the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Counselor (O-7 equivalent). Much of his career focused on political, security, economics, and counter-narcotics issues in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Balkans, and Iraq.

Mr. Blakeney led and managed teams as large as 250 people, and managed assistance budgets in the $20M- $40M range. His final Foreign Service assignment was as Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) to the Commander of U.S. Army South, where he covered all of the Caribbean and Latin America. Mr. Blakeney led the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team in Karbala, Iraq. He served as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, and as Political and Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassies in Guatemala and Macedonia. He also served as Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for the Eastern Caribbean, and as the Public Affairs Section Chief in Havana, Cuba. His other Foreign Service assignments were in Mexico, Nicaragua, and at The State Department in Washington, DC.

Mr. Blakeney has a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree from Georgetown University, and a Master of Public Policy degree from Princeton University. He graduated CAPSTONE, the Defense Department’s General and Flag Officer Course, in 2019. He received the State Department’s Award for Heroism in Iraq, two Superior Honor and two Meritorious Honor Awards, and the U.S. Army’s Superior Civilian Service Medal. Mr. Blakeney’s wife, Johanna, is a Colombian attorney. They have two children, Chase and Valerie.