Kevin Countie

Kevin Countie is a retired Army National Guard Colonel and seasoned national security professional with over three decades of experience in counter-drug and counter-threat intelligence operations.

Prior to joining Straife, Kevin served as Deputy Chief of Staff and National Security Advisor to Congressman Troy E. Nehls (TX-22), where he focused on defense, foreign affairs, homeland security, and law enforcement issues.

Before his work in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin was the division director over the Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. In that role, he concentrated on countering human trafficking activities in licensed establishments across Texas.

Kevin has more than 30 years of experience in counter-drug intelligence operations. He began his career in 1989 as an Army Signal and Intelligence officer in the Texas Army National Guard’s Counter-Drug program, with assignments at Operation Alliance in El Paso, Texas, and with Houston HIDTA Major Drug Squads. In 1998, he joined the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), serving as the Intelligence lead for the Austin Resident Office and later as the DEA Intelligence liaison to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He retired from the DEA with nearly 22 years of service.

A combat veteran, Kevin served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom I as a Civil Affairs Officer. He later served as Deputy Director of the Counter-Threat Finance Intelligence Program in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. He is branch-qualified in Signal, Civil Affairs, and Information Operations, and has served in Long Range Surveillance, Aviation, Signal, Airborne Infantry, Civil Affairs, and Information Operations units. He retired from the Texas Army National Guard with over 32 years of active, reserve, and National Guard service. His final assignments included Command of the 71st Theater Information Operations Group and Regimental Commander of the 136th Regiment, Texas Regional Training Institute at Fort Hood, Texas.

Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and political science from Houston Baptist University, a master’s degree in quality systems management from The National Graduate School, and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. COL Countie is a graduate of the Signal Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Basic Airborne Course, the Civil Affairs Officer Qualification Course, the FA-30 Information Operations Course, the Joint Information Operations Planners Course, the Point Electronic Warfare Theater Operations Course, the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, and the DEA Basic Intelligence Course at Quantico, Virginia.

He currently serves on the board of the non-profit Rebuilding Alliance, which provides humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the occupied territories.