Welcome “Paddy”: US Civil Affairs at the CCOE

Mr. Patrick “Paddy” Considine (34, USA) began his CCOE internship at the Concepts, Interoperability, Capability (CIC) Branch in March 2017. There he will be supporting the syndicate Development and Planning of the Community of Interest (COI) conference to be held in Riga, Latvia in mid-May. Additionally, he will be using this opportunity to gain a better understanding of the role of CIMIC in development contexts to support his thesis paper project.

“Paddy” is currently in the second (and final) year of his postgraduate program at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. There he is studying a Masters in Development Practice (MDP) program, which is part of a network of 31 similar postgraduate programs worldwide. The MDP program, created by special economic advisor to the Uited Nations (UN), Jeffrey Sachs, provides students an interdisciplinary approach to sustainable development and the challenges inherent to the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Prior to moving to Dublin, he lived and worked in Germany for almost nine years within the US Army.

Additionally, “Paddy” has a “second life” – as a Major in the United States Army Reserves. As a reservist, he has been a Civil Affairs officer (US version of CIMIC) for almost seven years. Prior to joining the Reserves, he was a full-time Soldier in the Infantry for five years. His undergraduate program was at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York. “Paddy” has spent almost 16 months total working in Afghanistan and has Civil Affairs experience supporting various exercises and training events across Europe and Tanzania.

In his off-time, he loves to travel – having visited 45 countries across 5 continents. As the “sole American” at the CCOE, “Paddy” understands the need to be an ambassador for his country and takes this responsibility seriously. Originally from the great state of Oklahoma, he was taught at an early age to never turn down a potential new friend or life experience. Therefore, he is extremely excited to be at the CCOE!

“Paddy” – thanks for being here!