Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Sean Tucker joined the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies team in July of 2024 following a three-year Security Cooperation Officer assignment with the Mutual Defense Assistance Office (MDAO) at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. He is a certified USINDOPACOM Foreign Area Officer (FAO) with over twelve years of operational experience in the Indo-Pacific region, including extensive in-country experience in Japan and the Republic of Korea. He has served at the Squadron, Air and Space Operations Center (AOC), Sub-Unified Command, and Combatant Command levels. Lt Col Tucker has also served in multiple deployed positions. Additionally, as an Information Integration Officer aboard the RC-135 V/W Rivet Joint aircraft, he was awarded Flight Instructor and Evaluator qualifications. Lt Col Tucker’s education includes a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. in International Relations from Troy University, and an A.A. in Japanese Language from the Defense Language Institute. His military decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters.