Michael Valletta
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Biography
Lieutenant Colonel Michael Valletta is a U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer (FAO) who was recently assigned to the ROTC program at Brigham Young University. Previously to this assignment, he served as the Deputy Chief, Office of Defense Cooperation assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania. During this assignment, his primary role was to advise the U.S. Ambassador on military matters, develop the bilateral relationship with Romania, and manage 27 State Department and U.S Service Members responsible for directing Foreign Military Sales, International Military Education and Training, State Partnership programs, numerous exercises and mil-to-mil engagements, training, and humanitarian assistance projects throughout Romania.
LTC Valletta has a distinguished military career that spans over 19 years of service. He started his career as an Aviation Officer, flying UH-60 Blackhawks and MQ-1C unmanned aerial systems. He deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting various combat and humanitarian operations. He also commanded an elite unit of the160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment (SOAR), providing support to U.S. special forces. He transitioned to become a FAO in 2012, specializing in the European Command area of responsibility with Hungarian as his control language. He served as an attache in Budapest, Hungary, from 2016 to 2019, where he facilitated the bilateral military cooperation and diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Hungary. From 2020 - 2022, he served as the deputy director of special programs in the intelligence directorate for INDOPACOM in Oahu, Hawaii.
L TC Valletta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems from Weber State University, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland, and a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from the University of Utah. He also completed various professional and regional training programs, such as the joint military attache service training, the Armed Forces Experimental Training Area program, and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. He graduated as the distinguished military graduate from his ROTC class.
Lieutenant Colonel Valletta is married to Meghan and has five children, soon to be six, to include: Grace, Seth, Lilly, Sam, and Ezra. His sixth child will be born in July 2023. He enjoys spending time with his family, coaching them in baseball and soccer, and helping them with their schooling. He is proud of his beautiful family and his service to his country.