Col. Shannon O’Harren serves as the Wartime Director for Intelligence, J2, United States Force Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, Republic of Korea.  In this capacity he assists the Director in leading a team of nearly 400 intelligence professionals in executing operations, developing plans and formulating policies that support the Commander United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea. 

Colonel O’Harren was commissioned in 1992 as a graduate of the ROTC program at the University of Colorado Boulder. His is a career intelligence officer and also served as a National Aeronautics and Space Administration military liaison officer and aircrew member.

Colonel O’Harren has held numerous staff positions at the unit, Joint Staff and Office of the Secretary of Defense level. He has Directed and Commanded specialty joint and interagency teams and supported numerous overseas contingency operations. Prior to his current assignment, he served as a Deputy Director for Intelligence in the National Joint Operations and Intelligence Center and National Military Command Center while simultaneously serving as Director, Joint Staff J2 Reserve Intelligence Support Element. While there, he led a team of over 220 Joint Service Intelligence professionals in providing ongoing crisis intelligence support and analysis to the President, Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior leaders in the Department of Defense.

EDUCATION

1992 Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.

1996 Master of Education in Organizational Development & Management, Boston University, Boston, Mass.

1997 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

2000 Master of Business Administration in Finance and Information Systems, Manhattan College, New York, N.Y.

2002 Special Operations Liaison Element Course, Joint Special Operations University, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

2002 Joint Special Operations Air Component Course, Joint Special Operations University, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

2002 Asia-Pacific & Middle East Orientation Courses, Joint Special Operations University, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

2003 Air Command and Staff College by correspondence, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

2004 Certificate in National Security Strategy, College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Ft McNair, Washington D.C.

2011 Air War College by correspondence, Air University, Maxwell, AFB, Ala.

2014 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Ft McNair, Washington D.C.

2016 Joint Combined Warfighting School – Hybrid, Joint Command and Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2020 Middle East and South Asia Political-Economic Conflict Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C

 

2020 China and The Far East Political-Economic Conflict Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

1. December 1992 – September 1993, Student, Intelligence Operations Officer Course, 17^th Training Wing, Goodfellow AFB, Texas

2. September 1993 – October 1994, Chief, Electronic Threat Analysis Branch, 7^th Air Intelligence Squadron, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea

3. October 1994 – November 1997, Chief, Intelligence Systems and Automation Support, Directorate of Intelligence, Electronics Systems Center (ESC), Hanscom AFB, Mass.

4. November 1997 – December 1999, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies, Detachment 560 Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Manhattan College, New York, N.Y.

5. December 1999 – February 2002, Reserve Augmentee and Action Officer, Pacific Air Forces Air Intelligence Squadron, Hickam AFB, Hawaii

6. February 2002 – February 2004, Intelligence Applications Staff Officer, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

7. February 2004 – February 2006, Chief, Intelligence Futures Branch, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

8. February 2006 – February 2008, Intelligence Flight Commander, 353^rd Special Operations Group, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan

9. February 2008 – September 2013, Deputy Chief, Command Intelligence Branch, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas

10. August 2009 – September 2011 (detailed), Special Projects Officer, Secretary of Defense Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Task Force, OUSD-I, Washington D.C.

11. October 2011 – September 2012 (detailed), Military Liaison Officer (Aircrew), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

12. October 2012 – March 2013 (temporary duty), Headquarters Pacific Command, Joint Innovation and Experimentation Division, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii

13. September 2013 – May 2015, Reserve Assistant to the Vice Director for Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Staff, Washington D.C.

14. May 2015 – September 2017, Director, Joint Staff J2 Joint Reserve Intelligence Support Element (JRISE), Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Staff, Washington D.C.

15. September 2017 – April 2018, Vice Deputy Director, Joint Staff J28, Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Staff, Washington D.C.

16. April 2018 – Present, Director for Intelligence, J2 (Wartime), United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, Republic of Korea

 

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

1. July 2002 – October 2002, Director of Intelligence, Special Operations Liaison Element (SOLE), Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a Captain

2. April 2003 – August 2003, Director of Intelligence, Special Operations Liaison Element (SOLE), Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Al Udeid Air Base, State of Qatar as a Captain and Major

3. August 2006 – October 2006, Director of Operations, 451^st AEG (NASA WB-57 Operations), Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar and Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan as a Major

4. October 2008 – December 2008, Director of Operations, 451^st AEG (NASA WB-57 Operations), Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar and Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan as a Lieutenant Colonel

5. August 2009 – September 2011, Special Projects Officer, Secretary of Defense Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Task Force, OUSD-I, Washington D.C. as a Lieutenant Colonel

6. October 2011 – May 2012, Sensor Equipment Operator trainee and Advanced Team Commander, 451^st AEW (NASA WB-57 Operations), Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan as a Lieutenant Colonel

7. September 2013 – May 2015, Reserve Assistant to the Vice Director for Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Staff, Washington D.C. as a Colonel

8. May 2015 – April 2018, Director, Joint Staff J2 Joint Reserve Intelligence Support Element (JRISE) and Deputy Director for Intelligence, National Joint Operations and Intelligence Center, National Military Command Center, Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Staff, Washington D.C. as a Colonel

9. April 2018 – Present, Director for Intelligence, J2 (Wartime), United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, Republic of Korea as a Colonel

 

AERONAUTICAL DATA

Basic parachutist

NASA Aviation Badge: Sensor Equipment Operator (not worn)

Aircraft: NASA WB-57 (permanent loan to NASA from USAF)

Flight/Combat Hours: Masked by NASA

 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Superior Service Medal

Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Meritorious Service Medal (two oak leaf clusters)

Joint Service Commendation Medal

Air Force Commendation Medal (two oak leaf clusters)

Joint Service Achievement Medal

Air Force Achievement Medal

National Defense Service Medal

Afghanistan Campaign Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Korea Defense Service Medal

Armed Forces Reserve Medal (two M devices one hourglass device)

NATO Medal

 

PUBLICATIONS

“Information Driven Interagency Operations in Afghanistan”, Joint Force Quarterly, National Defense University Press, October 2008

 

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant, May 15,1992

First Lieutenant, Sept. 7, 1994

Captain, Sept. 7, 1996

Major, May 9, 2003

Lieutenant Colonel, Aug. 14, 2008

Colonel, Nov. 1, 2013
 

(Current as of June 2020)