Tom Cooney was recently selected as the State Department Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) of the Year for 2013 for his work as the top foreign policy advisor to the Commander of U.S. Army, Pacific. POLADs are foreign service officers detailed to U.S. military commanders around the world as their primary source of foreign policy advice.
Cooney was selected by the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for this award in recognition of his advice and counsel provided on a wide range of foreign policy issues to the commander of all U.S. Army forces in the Asia-Pacific region. His contributions related to engagement with militaries in Burma, China, and India in particular – in addition to our five treaty allies (Japan, Korea, Thailand, Australia, Philippines) – proved helpful as the U.S. government launched and deepened its policy of re-balancing to the Asia-Pacific region.
Cooney was a 2010 recipient of the Public Diplomacy Achievement Award, given by PDAA, for his work spearheading American participation in the Shanghai Expo that year, where he guided the project from design through groundbreaking to a successful launch.
