January Virtual Speaker Series

GUEST SPEAKER'S BACKGROUND:

Captain Montes graduated from the Michigan State University in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He entered the Navy in 1999 as a Navy Reserve Intelligence officer. CAPT Montes has been an Intelligence Officer for the past 26 years, and has served in 2 Commanding Officer assignments and 2 Executive Officer tours of duty. CAPT Montes also attended the Naval War College. He recently completed 4 years of active Duty to the U.S. Air Force, Concepts, Developments and Management Office with oversight of 6 coalition networks to support the Mission Partner Environment. Additionally, he served at the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he served in 3 leadership positions: Deputy Chief for Mission Integration, China Mission Group, the Director, Military Integration Office-Reserve, and the Chief, Joint Reserve Intelligence Program. He is currently the Director of Intelligence for the United States Sixth Fleet supporting fleet operations providing critical intelligence to the Commander to create decision space to deter, deny and if required to defeat our adversaries.

He served as the Commanding Officer of a 70-member Navy Information Warfare unit, supporting the Defense Intelligence Agency in Rome, NY. Other reserve leadership roles included two Executive Officer tours of duty for the Office of Naval Intelligence in Millington, TN, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, Middle East Africa Regional Center in Rome, New York.

Additional active-duty assignments have included being recalled for the initiation of Operation Iraqi Freedom at the Pentagon as a Flag Briefer. Additionally, he served as an intelligence Officer in Charge in Seoul, Korea. He mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as the Deputy Director of Intelligence for the Multi-National Force-Iraq, Law and Order Task Force (LAOTF), Al-Rusafa, Iraq. He was also recalled to serve as the Operations Officer for the Joint Reserve Intelligence Program in Rome, NY. Based upon his financial intelligence expertise, he was recalled to serve as a Senior Analyst for the U.S. Southern Command conducting and overseeing the command’s threat finance initiative.

CAPT Montes is a retired Special Agent after serving more than 27 years for the Department of Homeland Security and the DoD Inspector General. He was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, two Joint Commendation Medals, Navy & Marine Corps Commendation medal, Air and Space Commendation Medal, two Joint Service Achievement Medals, two Navy & Marine Achievement Medals, and an Army Achievement Medal, and unit and campaign awards.

CAPT Montes is married to Catherine Montes, and reside in Accokeek, MD. They have two adult children, Matthew and Makayla.