Life as a bilateral affairs officer

Photo By Maj. Matthew Boyle | Army Maj. Kevin Hinton is the North Carolina National Guard's bilateral affairs officer for Botswana.  

RALEIGH, NC, UNITED STATES

11.04.2014

Courtesy Story

North Carolina National Guard

By Army Maj. Kevin Hinton and Maj.
Chris Rogers

RALEIGH, N.C. - Greetings, I am Army Maj. Kevin Hinton, currently assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Botswana, Africa as the Bilateral Affairs Officer (BAO). My family and I are on a two-year assignment in Botswana and live and work with other members of the U.S. Embassy Country Team.

As the BAO, my main focus in Botswana is to coordinate engagements between the state of North Carolina and Botswana. Specifically, I coordinate the military-to-military exchanges between the North Carolina National Guard and the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) and to some extent N.C. civilian engagements with the Botswana Defense Force.

The BAO position is demanding, but very rewarding. My team is the link between the NCNG and the BDF. Many late hours are logged by me and my staff. The BAO job is not only a joint position, but truly an interagency position. As part of the larger Country Team here, I work with the U.S. State Department and other agencies, as well as private and non-governmental entities to strengthen civilian-to-civilian bilateral relationships under the umbrella of the State Partnership Program.

The Staff here is great. They are the continuity for this program and truly passionate about their work. We plan engagements from the concept stage straight through the transistion stage, handing the event off to the visiting U.S. Team and BDF. The N.C. National Guard conducts roughly 90 percent of all military-to-military engagements in Botswana and we also handle all military-to-military engagements of other force providers from the active Army, Marines and Air Force.

My family and I arrived here in Gaborone, the capitol of Botswana, in January 2014. My wife, Melissa, and our children integrated very quickly into the embassy community. Melissa became the Community Liaison Officer for the embassy and is also the newsletter editor. Her job is to welcome new families coming to live and work with the embassy community and to plan social events for the embassy.

Both our children attend an international school here. The school is truly an amazing international experience for both children. My daughter’s class has 15 students from 13 different countries.

We have become avid campers and enjoy safaris. In our free time we like to travel the region. We have explored the Pretoria area of South Africa and Kasane, Botswana which included a trip to Victoria Falls.

This posting is a one of a kind growing experience for my family and for me professionally. I know I will become a better officer because of what I am learning here and will take that knowledge back to N.C.

Army Maj. Chris Rogers – Bilateral Affairs Officer, Moldova: My assignment as the Bilateral Affairs Officer (BAO) in Moldova is one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I have been NCNG’s BAO in Moldova for over two years. This assignment has been a challenging and fulfilling on multiple levels. On any given day, I may be meeting with the top political and military leaders of Moldova discussing how the U.S. can help develop their military and the next day, I am assisting a humanitarian organization from N.C. get medical supplies delivered to a local community. Engaging with local communities and overseeing humanitarian assistance programs through the Department of Defense has been a highlight, both personally and professionally.

An important part of my job is briefing the American Ambassador of Moldova on events involving both U.S. Forces and the Moldovan military. Like my Botswana counterpart, Moldova’s SPP mission spans military, political, economic and social realms characterized by building enduring personal relationships. A long-lasting, sincere productive relationship is what makes this program strong and successful.

I have personally witnessed the contributions of NCNG’s professional Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen; they are truly remarkable. Facilitating great training events for the NCNG and the Moldovan Army is another high point of this job. I have lost count of the number of times the North Carolina National Guard has been credited and thanked for their hard work and support to Moldova, especially during recent unrest and crisis in Ukraine. It is something we as a force, should be incredibly proud of and work harder than ever to ensure the continued success in our almost 20 year partnership.

Another rewarding aspect of this job is having my family here with me. The experience of living overseas is both a thrill and a challenge, but one that we as a family will cherish for the rest of our lives. In our time here, we have gotten the chance to learn the local language, make lifelong friends, and experience a wonderful country and culture.

Our kids have a new appreciation for many things most Americans take for granted: good roads, clean drinking water and accessible healthcare. In Moldova, these conveniences at times are not available.

Finally, this position has given me and my family the opportunity to travel to the surrounding countries and experience the multitude of cultures that make up Europe. In the span of two years we have been able to travel from Russia to the United Kingdom and from Greece to Sweden. Our favorite way to travel is by car, which allows us to enjoy the European countryside.

N.C. Guard’s State Partnership Program is a great example of how teamwork, lasting relationships, camaraderie and professionalism between all parties positively impacts each nation and region, as well as showing the unique missions that the NCNG can accomplish year after year.

The National Guard State Partnership Program began in 1993 with a few Baltic States and based on its own reporting, there have been no SPP relationship that have ended and none have failed since the program's inception. It’s the BAO and their staff that make that statistic a reality and the National Guard America’s Ambassadors.

• Date Taken: 11.04.2014
• Date Posted: 11.05.2014 11:41
• Story ID: 147036
• Location: RALEIGH, NC, US