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:  Cancelled!

March 15. 2025:  Colonel (Ret.) Joseph R. Connell and David W. Morrison

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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AFIO MEETING: MARCH 15, 2025
America's Role with
Drones and Global Conflict

The next meeting of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) will be on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 2 p.m. in Kennebunk High School's Economos Lecture Hall, 89 Fletcher Street.

Two distinguished speakers with extensive military and defense expertise will discuss America’s role in today’s evolving global conflicts, providing a unique chance to gain firsthand insights into today’s global conflicts and the future of warfare.

The speakers are Colonel (Ret.) Joseph R. Connell, U.S. Army, a 30-year veteran with leadership experience in elite combat units and strategic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and David W. Morrison, former U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer with 32 years of service, and now a leader in advanced surveillance radar technology. (See biographies below.)

The agenda highlights are:

· Battlefield decision-making: How military strategy has evolved from counterinsurgency (COIN) operations to modern threat management.

· Lessons from recent conflicts: Insights from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and the Israel-Hamas war.

· Emerging threats: The growing impact of drones and other technological advancements in warfare.

· Future military tactics: How radar and surveillance innovations will shape defense strategies in the Pacific.

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 offering attendees an opportunity to engage directly with the speakers.