KEI Contributor

John Ryan is Foreign Service Officer currently covering Political Military issues for the Republic of Korea desk at the U.S. Department of State.

Previously, he provided military assistance to Ukraine in the European bureau and served as a political officer in Yangon, Myanmar, before and after the 2021 military coup.  John started his State career in Beijing, China in 2016.

He studied international and Asian politics at Georgetown and George Washington, including stints in Beijing and New Delhi.  Born and raised in Los Angeles, in another life John was as a social worker with homeless families and worked at a technology startup.  In order of proficiency John speaks Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, and Burmese.  His wife Nandar works in international development.