Spotlight: Craig A. Stafford II
Updated: Jan 3, 2019
August 2017
Craig A. Stafford II is a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Civil Service at the U.S. Department of State. He currently serves as a branch chief policy advisor for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of Regional Security & Arms Transfers. In this role, Craig serves as a conduit between the State Department and Department of Defense Combatant Commanders in obtaining Secretary-level agreement on military operations. Craig joined the State Department in 2010 as a Pathways Intern, and began his journey in the Bureau of Human Resources managing student programs. He later worked as an Analyst in the Office of Inspector General, a Regional Counterterrorism Advisor for East Africa in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, a Cyber Policy Advisor in the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, and a Countering Violent Extremism Foreign Assistance Coordinator for the Bureau of Near East Affairs, where he led the Department’s efforts in countering violent extremism, radicalization and recruitment across the Islamic Maghreb.
Before joining the State Department, Craig worked as a junior policy analyst at the US-Ukraine Foundation and a Congressional Staffer for former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Craig holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Russian from Hampton University, an M.A. in Security Studies from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a M.Sc. in Intelligence Management from the University of Maryland. Craig speaks three foreign languages—German, Russian and Arabic—and enjoys hiking and rock-climbing in Europe and South America.
“My experience at the State Department has been more than just a job, but a career. Being able to have a stake in crafting foreign policy, and directly witnessing the outcomes of your work in the news and in the 23 countries I’ve visited, makes this career that much impactful,” he said.