John Taft Email & Phone Number

Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Entering this top-ranking consulting firm, I leveraged my domain expertise to guide the organization’s entrance into the highly competitive and high growth Special Operations and Information and Decision Advantage markets. Main oversight and leadership surrounded:— Championing the development of go-to-market, brand strategy, and marketing approach to stage Deloitte capabilities and offerings in new markets while unearthing client pain points and gaps to build value and capture revenue opportunities. — Building and developing a core team of 20 practitioners with scalable processes to ensure agility with project demands.Significant contributions include:► Catalyzed development of new business segments—spurring first-ever organizational entrance into Special Operations and Information and Decision Advantage Markets—with awarded contract vehicles valued in the billions.► Teamed to captured position on 2 single award Indefinite Delivery and Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts with ceilings of $850M, $650M, and a multiple award IDIQ contract with $900M ceiling.► Spearheaded $1B Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM) global information operations pursuit that secured strategic partnerships with 18 large and small business, including the largest satellite Arab provider in the Middle East.► Conducted detailed market research that identified $350M addressable market in Information and Decision Advantage Market, fueling approval of Deloitte investment to capture 5% of $7.5B market.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations & Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD SO/LIC) advises the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy on counterterrorism policy issues and the execution of Special Operations.I was handpicked for this role based on my reputation among senior leaders within the special operations community and my extensive counterterrorism experience in Lebanon, Eastern & Northern Africa, and in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.In this role I’m responsible for: — Delivering policy advice and military expertise to the Assistant Secretary regarding all aspects of Special Operations, Military Operations, and Counterterrorism Policy Issues. — Reviewing and evaluating congressional testimonies and briefings, policy & strategy papers, and correspondence with senior DoD Leadership, the Joint Staff, the Services, Combatant Commands, and various US Government Agencies. — Consulting frequently with US and foreign senior defense officials regarding special operations and security cooperation, especially counterterrorism efforts in Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Syria and Iraq. Significant contributions include:► Advising the acting ASD SOLIC on the development and execution of an implementation plan for the most significant legislation to impact the Special Operations enterprise since it was created 30 years earlier. ► Organizing strategic level engagements with Political and Ministry of Defense officials in Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

Beirut District, Lebanon

Special Operations Command (Forward) - Lebanon is a Special Operations, interagency cross-functional organization of 150 personnel with a $20M operating budget functioning inside Lebanon’s highly sensitive and complex geo-political environment. In this role I was responsible for:— Advising and assisting the U.S. Ambassador, the country team, and the Lebanese Chief of Defense on all matters pertaining to Special Operations to favorably shape the political and military environment in Lebanon. — Developing and implementing a multi-faceted Counterterrorism Campaign to counter the Islamic State in the Levant (ISIL). — Managing Operations, Training, and Risk Management with forces deployed across 15 different locations in Lebanon and along the Syrian border.— Providing oversight of extensive organizational property, including a fleet of vehicles and $25 million in construction projects across Lebanon. Significant contributions include:► Collaboration with the largest Arab satellite TV provider, to produce an original 30-episode TV series that exposed violent extremist exploitation of religion. This series was a success across the Middle East and North Africa and was picked up by NETFLIX.► Advising and enabling the Lebanese Armed Forces in their first highly successful combined raid conducted by Lebanese Special Operations Forces to destroy ISIS fortified positions in North Eastern Lebanon.► Spearheading a comprehensive strategic defense review, which informed my development of a two-year operational framework and plan to build Lebanese Special Operation Forces capability, increase lethality, strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces institutions, and grow U.S. influence.

Carlisle, Pennslyvania

The United States Army War College provides advanced professional education for senior military officers and their counterparts in federal agencies and foreign armed forces. The curriculum includes: • Examination of strategic creative and critical thinking • Examination of the nature of leadership in a strategic environment • Ethical considerations • Examination of strategic management systems • Study of U.S. national security policy and national military strategy. I was selected by a U.S. Army senior service college board to attend the U.S. Army War College, placing me in the Top 20% of eligible officers to be selected. Significant contributions included:► Conducting year-long research project into President Obama’s policy on U.S. military intervention in international crises: “Strike, Enable, Leverage – A Strategic Triad for U.S. Military Intervention”. ► Recognition as a Distinguished Graduate (Top 20%) by the United States Army War College. ► Competitively selected to participate in the National Security Policy Program.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence serves as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence regarding Intelligence, Counter Intelligence, Security and sensitive activities.The military assistant position to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence is a nominative position. I was handpicked by the then-current Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence to serve as his Special Operations Military Assistant.In this role I was responsible for: — Framing issues and preparing the Under Secretary for meetings, congressional testimony, travel, briefings, ceremonies and speeches. — Ensuring successful and timely navigation of DOD, Interagency and National Security Staff process.Significant contributions included: ► Organizing strategic level engagements with political officials worldwide—including the respective representatives for the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense—for Pakistan, Iraq, Jordan, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Libya, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, and France.

Fort Carson, Colorado

This was a new 450-man Army Special Forces battalion formed to effectively execute operations across Iraq, Eastern & Northern Africa, and pre-combat training within the United States and Germany.In this role I was responsible for: — Implementing a distributed command-and-control operational framework in addition to the training, discipline and welfare for a 450-man Special Forces Battalion. — Preparing the battalion for Special Operations, including unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, and sensitive activities.— Conducting wartime Special Operations in support of overseas contingency operations.Significant contributions include:► Preparing Special Operation Forces to counter the Lords Resistance Army and Capture Joseph Kony across Uganda, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.► Preparing and deploying Special Operation Forces to provide personal protection to the U.S. Ambassador in Libya.

Executive Mba Program Washington, Dc

Business Analytics and Corporate Finance Specializations

Master Of Science - Ms, National Security And Strategic Studies, Distinguished Honor Graduate

Master Of Arts - Ma, National Security And International Affairs

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba