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James O. Coker II
U.S. Southern Command

James O. Coker II is a career U.S. Foreign Service Officer and retired U.S. Navy officer with more than 30 years of experience in foreign affairs, national security, and military operations. He currently serves as a Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) at U.S. Southern Command in Miami, where he advises senior military leadership on political and diplomatic developments across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Jim’s recent work has focused on the evolving strategic landscape in the Western Hemisphere, including Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, migration, counternarcotics, transnational threats, and strategic competition. Throughout his Foreign Service career, he has worked at the intersection of diplomacy, defense, intelligence, and law enforcement, supporting U.S. policy and operations in complex political and security environments.

His Foreign Service assignments have included the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, the U.S. Consulate General in São Paulo, the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), and as the political-military desk officer for Ukraine. Across these assignments, he has engaged foreign governments, military institutions, intelligence and interagency partners, and private-sector stakeholders on a range of diplomatic and national security issues. He is fluent in Spanish.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Jim served 20 years in the U.S. Navy, including both enlisted and commissioned service. He holds a Master of Arts in Security Policy Studies from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Florida.

Based in Miami, Jim’s professional interests include Latin American security, U.S. foreign policy, strategic competition in the Western Hemisphere, civil-military relations, and the intersection of diplomacy and national security.