John F. Walker
Encyclopedia
General Background
John Furman Walker was born to Furman Frank Walker and Birdie Jane Walker (NEE:Hiott) in Walterboro, South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, USA on
February 22, 1960. His father was a Chief Petty Officer
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He grew up enjoying the constant travel
that came with being in a military family stationed overseas.
interactions. He joined the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) in September 1979 and by the following January, he was serving the US government
as a Security Specialist.
John’s military career took off and in 1986, he was recruited to become a Special Agent
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
in the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). He conducted, administered and supervised hundreds of criminal, counterintelligence, and anti-terrorism
investigations and operations globally. He gained extensive operational knowledge of four geographic theaters, namely: North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
,
Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
John is a decorated veteran of the first Persian Gulf War, serving in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
,
Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, and Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, respectively.
John retired from active duty in September 1999 and became a corporate security consultant and has since been associated with Pinkerton
Pinkerton
Pinkerton may refer to:*Pinkerton , a 1996 album by Weezer*Pinkerton, Ontario*Pinkerton National Detective Agency, a detective agency founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton*Pinkerton Academy, a high school in Derry, New Hampshire...
,
Securitas
Securitas
In Roman mythology, Securitas was the goddess of security and stability. especially the security of the Roman Empire. . On coinage Secuitas was usually depicted leaning on a column....
and G4S.
US Government Career
John F. Walker started his professional career in 1979 by joining the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. He was assigned as a Security Specialist
protecting weapon systems and facilities. It was during this time that John became interested in physical security and excelled in the early
applications of basic electronic security of the day.
In early 1989, John was instrumental in the successful investigation of the assassination of a prominent and senior U.S. military officer in Manila, Colonel James N. Rowe
James N. Rowe
James Nicholas "Nick" Rowe was a United States Army officer and one of only thirty-four American prisoners of war to escape captivity during the Vietnam War...
. At great personal risks, his actions resulted in the first successful arrest and prosecution of a terrorist attack on an American national in a foreign land and the four assassins continue to serve life sentences in a Philippine prison.
Later that year, John found himself involved in the first (of what would be many) coup d’état attempts against the administration of then Philippine President Cory Aquino. In this particular attempt, John and another agent were holed up in the area of Makati City
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
, the central business district of Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
. Nearby, rebel soldiers were occupying several five-star hotels and holding the hotel guests hostage in an attempt to shut down business in a desperate attempts to compel the government to capitulate to their demands. While collecting vital intelligence for the US government, John and his comrade were in constant danger from sniper attacks and in one instance a sniper’s bullet just missed his head. The siege lasted for five (5) days and ended when the US Air Force at Clark Air Force Base flew American fighter jets over Makati in a show of support for the Aquino administration. The rebel soldiers later surrendered and were given orders to return to the barracks by then Philippine Secretary of Defense, Fidel Ramos. While the back-to-barracks order was in effect, John and several other Agents took-over and commandered several buses to rescue stranded hostages that were still trapped in hotels. John was praised for his courageous and decisive efforts and later was personally commended by then US Ambassador, Nicholas Platt
Nicholas Platt
Nicholas Platt is an American diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Pakistan, Philippines, Zambia, and as a high level diplomat in Canada, China, Hong Kong, and Japan...
.
At the start of the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
(Desert Shield) in 1990, John was instrumental in developing direct evidence against Iraqi Embassy that found them complicit in directing terrorist activities against the US Government facilities and personnel in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Ironically, one of the facilities targeted was John’s office which was located in Makati City
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
, Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
. As a result of this activity, the entire Iraqi diplomatic mission were expelled from the Philippines by then President Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
and her Secretary of Foreign Affairs Raul S. Manglapus.
After assignments to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, Washington DC, and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
in 1995, John was assigned to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as the Chief of Counterespionage Operations in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. During this time John received numerous accolades for his ingenious input to the various aspects of the assignment. It also was during this tenure that John was referred to as "one of the most prolific counterintelligence operators in the US community".
Corporate career
John Retired from active duty in September 1999 to start a career as a corporate security consultant. His initial work was as a special project manager for Pinkerton Consulting and Investigations in the Philippines. Soon after arriving, John was promoted to the country manager position. John worked for Pinkerton Philippines for 5 years. When he left, the Philippine office was one of Pinkerton’s most productive consultancy offices. He was credited with working the largest fraud investigation in the history of Pinkerton (at US$97 million). He often jokes that if he had been in the US, the FBI would have never let him run the case.After Pinkerton, John conducted an 18 month security consultancy with Aboitiz Transport Services (ATS) in the Philippines. This consultancy was successful and provided the blueprint for a total corporate security mechanism that installs complete policies and procedures for one of the largest transport companies in Asia. The foundations laid by John are still in use by ATS to this day, as well as other security joint ventures between ATS and G4S.
Close to the end of his contract with ATS, John was asked by the Philippine country manager for G4S to join the company and assist in building a consulting and investigations business and at the same time assume the role of project manager for foreign embassy security contracts for G4S Philippines. This included the United States Embassy, in Manila, which is one of the largest outsourced embassy contracts in the world and (arguably) the most threatened facility in Southeast Asia.
John’s efforts once again won him constant accolades from the U.S. Government since the US Embassy security program in Manila was viewed by the US Department of State as one of the best run programs in their diplomatic security divisions.
In September 2006, G4S asked him to move to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and develop the consultancy business there. This path eventually led John to being based in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, as the Director of Risk Management and Consultancy Services.
John has over 30 years experience in progressive and complex security roles with 22 of those years working and living in the Asia Pacific (APAC) Region. He currently supervises and manages numerous security related programs, investigations, and enforcement actions in concert with various global law enforcement agencies. These activities include, but are not limited, to the following: intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
(IP) protection programs, major theft and fraud investigations, physical security assessments, due-diligence inquiries, protecting international investment and joint venture activities, the development of crisis management
Crisis management
Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public. The study of crisis management originated with the large scale industrial and environmental disasters in the 1980's.Shrivastava, P....
and business continuity planning
Business continuity planning
Business continuity planning “identifies [an] organization's exposure to internal and external threats and synthesizes hard and soft assets to provide effective prevention and recovery for the organization, whilst maintaining competitive advantage and value system integrity”. It is also called...
(BCP), anti-terrorism training (including, defensive driver’s training), as well as the planning and implementation of VIP
VIP
VIP and V.I.P. is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:-In general:* Vacuum insulated panel* Values, Influence, and Peers, an anti-crime campaign in Ontario elementary schools* Variable Information Printing, a form of on-demand printing...
protection operations in high-risk environments.
John still works closely with many foreign services to include the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), the Japanese National Police, the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, and the Government of Singapore
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
on counterintelligence and anti-terrorism matters of mutual interests between the U.S. and allied governments.
John holds degrees in Criminal Justice and Industrial Security. He is also a graduate of two U.S. federal law enforcement academies and had advanced trainings which includes: Counterintelligence/Counter-espionage Operations, and Intelligence Management, Protective and Anti-terrorism Services. John also holds certifications as an Information Security Manager (CISM), a Corporate Security Officer (CSO).
Personal
John considers the Philippines his adopted home now and refers to himself as a cosmopolitan. John's religious and political views are generally conservative but he tries to refrain from discussing his specific views leaving it to politicians. While he is a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, he admits he now leans more towards deism
Deism
Deism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
these days. In his private time, John likes to read history books and is a Sudoku
Sudoku
is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...
puzzle master. He is avid sports fan and likes American football and rugby. He is also fond of boxing and lifts weights and excels on the bench press. John is married and has four children.