Biography Commandant Michael A. Davis Colonel (OF-5), United States Army As the Commandant of the NATO School Oberammergau, Colonel Michael Davis commands a faculty and staff representing 22 different NATO and Partnership for Peace nations that are responsible for the education and development of more than 10,000 students per year through more than 110 different formal education courses. Colonel Michael A. Davis graduated Cum Laude and was commissioned from James Madison University as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1995. His early career included Airborne and Special Forces assignments at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; Ft. Benning, Georgia; and Ft. Carson, Colorado. Colonel Davis’ operational deployments include multiple peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and combat operations in Operations IRAQI FREEDOM I, II, III, and IV. Colonel Davis began Foreign Area Officer (FAO) training in 2005. Following his initial FAO studies in European Affairs and an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France, Colonel Davis conducted numerous international assignments such as the U.S. Liaison to the Turkish Special Forces, the U.S. Military Exchange Officer to the Belgian Defense Forces, and at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Headquarters in Brussels, where he served as the Aide• de- Camp to the Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. Subsequently, Colonel Davis served as the U.S. Army Attaché to the Republic of Austria and as an Arms Control Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Following graduation from the U.S. Army War College, Colonel Davis served as the Military Assistant and Speechwriter for the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, NATO’s senior military officer. Colonel Davis then served at the U.S. Embassy in Rome as the U.S. Military Attaché to the Republic of Italy. Colonel Davis enjoys skiing, history, hiking, swimming, and reading/writing about leadership, international affairs, and energy security. Colonel Davis is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the French Army Staff College (CSEM) and holds a B.A. from James Madison University, an M.A. from the Naval Postgraduate School, and an A.A. in French from the Defense Language Institute. He and his wife, Kelly, have an eight-year-old daughter, a six-year-old son, and a five-year-old daughter. MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Defense Superior Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster Special Forces Tab Bronze Star Medal Ranger Tab Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster Combat Infantryman’s Badge Meritorious Service Medal Master Parachutist’s Badge Joint Commendation Medal German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold) Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster Belgian Parachutist Wings Joint Service Achievement Medal French Parachutist Wings Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters Tunisian Parachutist Wings NATO School Oberammergau 82487 Oberammergau – Germany, Am Rainenbichl 54 E-Mail [email protected] Tel. +49-8822-9481-1000 Fax +49-8822-9171-1000 www.natoschool.nato.int .