COL Blacker is a senior Army Strategist (FA59) with over 30 years of experience. She was initially branched Field Artillery and commissioned through Officer Candidate School after serving as an enlisted Soldier. Including time as a RAND fellow, and deployment, she has over 14 years of joint experience. After serving in the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii and then as the Chief of the Economic Work Group, G3, deployed to Northern Iraq, COL Blacker went to United States Pacific Command (now IndoPacific Command) where she served as the Branch Chief for Counterterrorism Plans. After Pacific Command, she went to Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to work in J51 deliberate plans (on CT and CWMD plans) and as the Chief of Interagency outreach for the J5. After SOCOM, COL Blacker served in the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) for Policy, Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities as the chief of Global Force Management. COL Blacker then went to the National Defense University’s College of Information and Cyberspace, where she served as the Chairman’s Chair, the Army Service Chair, and a Professor of Practice, developing and delivering new curriculum. COL Blacker left NDU to return to the Pentagon and OSD Policy to work in one of the regional offices with International Security Affairs (ISA). At ISA she served in the Europe/NATO office as the Country Director for France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and in the Middle East office as the Country Director for Lebanon.