BIO
Colonel Christopher Varhola, USAR, is an African Foreign Area Officer and Civil Affairs Officer. He is a Senior Fellow with the Joint Special Operations University and was recently chief of planning for the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, as well as the governance section chief for Regional Command-South in Afghanistan in 2012-2013. Previous assignments include ceasefire monitor in the Sudan, ARCENT G9 in Saudi Arabia, and multiple tours in Iraq. He holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. He currently lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.