UPCOMING MEETINGS

March 16, 2024: 

Josef “Joe” Kurlanski presenting on cyber security. 2:00 p.m.

Kennebunk High School, Economos Lecture Hall

April 20, 2024: 

Speaker: Foreign Service Officer (Ret.) Louis Sell.

May 18, 2024:  Speaker:  International Photojournalist Jonathan Alpeyrie.

June 15, 2024: 

Speaker: Ambassador R. Cekuta

September 2024:  Cancelled

October 2024:  Michael Ambler

November 16, 2024:  Cancelled

2025

January 18, 2025:   Bill Hall

February 15, 2025:  Admiral (Ret) William Merz 

May 17, 2025:  Ambassador Ronald Neumann 

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS

The Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) was incorporated in 1975 as a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-political, educational association for current and former intelligence professionals and supporters of the US intelligence community. The Association is based in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

AFIO’s mission is to build a public constituency for a sound, healthy and capable U.S. intelligence system. The focus is on education fostering an understanding of the important role of intelligence in National Security and nurtures interest by students in careers in the many fields used by U.S. Intelligence Agencies. This includes the role of supporting intelligence activities in U.S. policy, diplomacy, strategy, security, and defense.

In addition, AFIO focuses on understanding the critical need for effective counterintelligence and security against foreign, political, technological, or economic espionage, as well as covert, clandestine and overt counter-terrorist or criminal operations threatening US security, the national infrastructure or corporate and individual safety.
AFIO’s mission has special significance in today’s international diplomatic and business environments.

Membership and subscription:
To join or subscribe go to: www.afio.com

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to build a public constituency for a sound, healthy and capable U.S. intelligence system. Our focus on education fosters an understanding of the important role of intelligence in National Security and nurtures interest by students in careers in the many fields used by U.S. Intelligence Agencies. This includes the role of supporting intelligence activities in U.S. policy, diplomacy, strategy, security and defense.

In addition, AFIO focuses on understanding the critical need for effective counterintelligence and security against foreign, political, technological or economic espionage, as well as covert, clandestine and overt counter-terrorist or criminal operations threatening US security, the national infrastructure or corporate and individual safety.

AFIO’s mission has special significance in today’s international diplomatic and business environments.

All Maine Chapter of Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) meetings are OPEN and the GENERAL PUBLIC is encouraged to attend. All are welcome to hear our speakers, who are primary source experts, express their views and opinions.

Maine Chapter’s effort is to help us all become better informed on the speakers’ subject matter; to become more knowledgeable on the facts behind current media headlines. We have also had foreign nationals give presentations on their perspective and opinions on their country or specific incidents.

The Chapter’s mission is to promote to the general public why it is important, necessary, to have a strong and effective intelligence capability as USA’s first line of defense. Please come and help us accomplish our mission.

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Ukraine and the Survival of Democracy in Europe.

The next meeting of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) will be on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 2 p.m. in Kennebunk High School's Economos Lecture Hall, 89 Fletcher Street.

The speaker, William (Bill) Hall, an intelligence officer for the US Air Force, served on active duty from 1969 until 1999, much of that time overseas in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He grew up in Virginia and received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University and a master’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. Bill is on the board of the Camden Conference, which is dedicated to bringing world class speakers to Maine to discuss complex political issues, and a past president of the World Affairs Council of Maine. He and his wife, Nancy, live on Peaks Island.

Hall's topic is more than relevant today: Ukraine and the Survival of Democracy in Europe. Hall believes the outcome of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a bellwether for the survival of democracy in Europe. He will examine democracy’s status and prospects in eastern/central Europe as it relates to Ukraine’s future as an independent nation. A solidly democratic neighborhood for Ukraine would strengthen Ukraine’s position in the fight and in the eventual peace talks--and perhaps restrain Moscow from further attempts to rebuild the Russian empire.

The AFIO meeting is open to the public and will commence at 2 p.m. in the Economos Lecture Hall at Kennebunk High School, 89 Fletcher Street. Following the presentation, there will be a question and answer session.