Mr. Dean Bland serves as Regional Program Coordinator (RPC) for Coastal West Africa within Regional Advising at the Institute for Security Governance (ISG). Mr. Bland started supporting ISG part-time in 2021 as Country Project Coordinator for Bahrain and as an Intelligence Subject Matter Expert in several countries. In April 2024, he transitioned to his new role as an RPC, where he is coordinating the start of new ISG activities in several littoral West African states, with a special focus on supporting interagency efforts to develop civil-military coordination centers.
Mr. Bland served in the U.S. Army for 26 years, including 12 years overseas. During his tenure, he specialized as a sub-Saharan Africa Foreign Area Officer and as a Strategic Intelligence Officer. His military career culminated in 2010, achieving the rank of Colonel and serving as division chief in the Intelligence Directorate of U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM). In his subsequent private sector career as a Booz Allen Hamilton consultant, he specialized in intelligence management and building partner capacity, with an emphasis on domain awareness, conflict resolution, and defense governance.
As Chief of USAFRICOM’s Knowledge Development Division, Mr. Bland developed the Command’s socio-cultural research and analytic efforts, and led intelligence capacity building engagements with African partners. Prior to that, he gained interagency experience while detailed to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), managing and supervising office components for CIA analytic and operational support to military commanders. As Defense and Army Attaché to Ghana, Mr. Bland led and facilitated Strategy, Policy, and Planning efforts that involved working extensively with senior leaders in the Ministry for Defense and Ghana Armed Forces, and oversaw all Security Cooperation programs. As Assistant Army Attaché to Haiti, he reported on vital information in support of U.S. policy objectives and military plans and operations, which resulted in the restoration of constitutional rule to that country.
In addition to his support to ISG, highlights of Mr. Bland’s private sector career include managing and serving as technical lead for 150 contractor personnel performing analytic and supporting functions in support of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Middle East Africa Regional Center; enhancing the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Human Geography program through multilateral and bilateral programs with international partners in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East; and leading social-cultural analytic and collaborative service offerings in support of three Geographic Combatant Commands.
Mr. Bland – a proficient French speaker – holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College; a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College; and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the College of William and Mary. He lives with his wife in Springfield, Virginia, and has three adult children.
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Civil-Military Relations
- Military-Interagency Relationships and Collaboration
- Strategic Intelligence
- Policy and Strategy Development
Mr. Dean Bland serves as Regional Program Coordinator (RPC) for Coastal West Africa within Regional Advising at the Institute for Security Governance (ISG). Mr. Bland started supporting ISG part-time in 2021 as Country Project Coordinator for Bahrain and as an Intelligence Subject Matter Expert in several countries. In April 2024, he transitioned to his new role as an RPC, where he is coordinating the start of new ISG activities in several littoral West African states, with a special focus on supporting interagency efforts to develop civil-military coordination centers.
Mr. Bland served in the U.S. Army for 26 years, including 12 years overseas. During his tenure, he specialized as a sub-Saharan Africa Foreign Area Officer and as a Strategic Intelligence Officer. His military career culminated in 2010, achieving the rank of Colonel and serving as division chief in the Intelligence Directorate of U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM). In his subsequent private sector career as a Booz Allen Hamilton consultant, he specialized in intelligence management and building partner capacity, with an emphasis on domain awareness, conflict resolution, and defense governance.
As Chief of USAFRICOM’s Knowledge Development Division, Mr. Bland developed the Command’s socio-cultural research and analytic efforts, and led intelligence capacity building engagements with African partners. Prior to that, he gained interagency experience while detailed to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), managing and supervising office components for CIA analytic and operational support to military commanders. As Defense and Army Attaché to Ghana, Mr. Bland led and facilitated Strategy, Policy, and Planning efforts that involved working extensively with senior leaders in the Ministry for Defense and Ghana Armed Forces, and oversaw all Security Cooperation programs. As Assistant Army Attaché to Haiti, he reported on vital information in support of U.S. policy objectives and military plans and operations, which resulted in the restoration of constitutional rule to that country.
In addition to his support to ISG, highlights of Mr. Bland’s private sector career include managing and serving as technical lead for 150 contractor personnel performing analytic and supporting functions in support of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Middle East Africa Regional Center; enhancing the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Human Geography program through multilateral and bilateral programs with international partners in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East; and leading social-cultural analytic and collaborative service offerings in support of three Geographic Combatant Commands.
Mr. Bland – a proficient French speaker – holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College; a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College; and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the College of William and Mary. He lives with his wife in Springfield, Virginia, and has three adult children.