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| Col. Garrett Howard takes the reigns as U.S. Army Africa's G2 Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. Terysa M. King) | |||
USARAF welcomes new Intel Officer
By Juliana McGraw, Volunteer, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs
VICENZA, Italy – I can honestly say for probably the first time in the history of my career the Army gave me the job I wanted. There is no job I wanted more than to be the G2 of U.S. Army Africa. Even if it was someplace else, I want to fend the post of a region; the fact that it’s in Italy made it a whole lot easier to sell to the Family. --- Col. Garrett Howard, U.S. Army Africa G2 Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence
Howard’s excitement about this assignment is quickly apparent. With more than twenty years of experience as an intelligence officer Howard said while Africa is very unique, similar intelligence processes and procedures still apply.
“Though the conditions in Africa are different than some other places in the world, the basic blocking and tackling of military intelligence operations are the same,” Howard said. “You have a toolkit that will work. You may just have to use your toolkit in a slightly different way to address the challenges that are unique to Africa.”
With every new job come new challenges. The biggest challenge Howard perceives will be “establishing the G2 and USARAF as an important part of the overall intelligence team and leveraging the intelligence community to optimally support [USARAF Commander Maj. Gen. Patrick] Donahue’s mission requirements.”
Howard’s previous assignment was as the Director of the Electronic Warefare Proponent Office at Leavenworth, Kan. He graduated from the U.S. 111Military Academy in 1986 with a degree in Political Science and History. He is an avid reader, reading through multiple books like someone flipping through television channels with a remote. The most recent book he read is Africa’s World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe.