Colonel Jason C. Farmer
Chief, Strategic Development and Initiatives Division, U.S. Army
Col. Jason C. Farmer is a U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer (FAO) serving as Chief of the Strategic Development and Initiatives Division at the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA), Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate, since summer 2024. Prior to arriving at the Pentagon, he served as the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché (SDO/DATT) to the Republic of Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Cabo Verde.
Col. Farmer is a distinguished military graduate of the ROTC program at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Wheaton College, a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College.
His Infantry and Special Forces assignments include: Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Battalion Mortar Platoon Leader, and Assistant Operations Officer in 1-32 Infantry Battalion, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York; Commander of Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA) 3331 and Company Executive Officer for C Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), U.S. Army Special Forces Command, U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
His FAO assignments include: International Military Affairs Desk Officer in the Security Cooperation Directorate at Southern European Task Force – Africa (SETAF-AF); SDO/DATT to the Republic of Rwanda; Functional Area (FA) 48 and 59 Human Resource Manager (HRM) at the Colonels Management Office (COMO) within HQDA Senior Leader Development (SLD).
His military education includes: Joint Military Attaché School, U.S. Army and General Staff College (Intermediate Level Education), Security Assistance Management Course, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Special Forces Qualification Course, Infantry Captain Career Course, Infantry Mortar Leaders Course, Ranger Course, Airborne School, and Infantry Officer Basic Course. He is proficient in French and Portuguese.
Col. Farmer’s operational deployments and combat tours include: Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) with the 10th Mountain Division; Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) with 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Col. Farmer's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Valorous Unit Award, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab, and Special Forces Tab. His foreign decorations include the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) Parachutist Wings.