Kevin Countie is a retired Army National Guard Colonel. Prior to joining Straife, Kevin was Deputy Chief of Staff and National Security Advisor, focusing on defense, foreign affairs, homeland security, and law reinforcement issues for Congressman Troy E. Nehls (TX-22).

Before his employment at the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin served as the division director over the Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) at the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission, primarily focusing on countering human trafficking activities in licensee locations throughout Texas. Kevin has over 30 years of experience in counter-drug intelligence operations. First, he served as an Army Signal and Intelligence officer for the Texas Army National Guard’s Counter-Drug program beginning in 1989, with assignments at Operation Alliance in El Paso, Texas, and Houston HIDTA Major Drug Squads. He then joined the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 1998. He served as the Intelligence lead for the Austin Resident Office and then as the DEA Intelligence liaison to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He retired from the DEA with almost 22 years of service.

Kevin is a combat veteran who served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom-1 as a Civil Affairs Officer. He also served as the Deputy Director of the Counter-Threat Finance Intelligence Program at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. He is a branch-qualified Signal, Civil Affairs, and Information Operations officer. He served in various units throughout his career, including 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 last two assignments include Command of the 71st Theater Information Operations Group and Regimental Commander of the 136th Regiment, Texas Regional Training Institute at Fort Hood, Texas.

Kevin has 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 & 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. Kevin is currently a board member of the non-profit Rebuilding Alliance, which provides humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the occupied territories.