Norland, Richard Boyce, 1955-

<p>Ambassador Norland was confirmed by the Senate to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Libya on August 1, 2019. A career diplomat, Ambassador Norland most recently served as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford. Previously he served as U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Deputy Chief of Mission in Afghanistan and Deputy Chief of Mission in Latvia. He has also served as the International Affairs Advisor/Deputy Commandant at the National War College, as a Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, and as a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.</p>

<p>Earlier in his career Ambassador Norland served as Political Counselor at the American Embassy in Dublin, Ireland (during the negotiation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement). He also served as the U.S. representative and acting mission head on the CSCE Mission to Georgia, addressing conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and later visited Chechnya in a similar capacity. He served as a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, USSR (covering Soviet relations with the Middle East and Africa during the period of glasnost and perestroika), and later at the Pentagon’s Office of the Secretary of Defense (where he worked on policy issues following the break-up of the Soviet Union). Other assignments included serving as the sole diplomat in Tromso, Norway (250 miles north of the Arctic Circle), and as Senior Arctic Official coordinating the U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council. He was also a Special Assistant (for African Affairs) to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Norway-Denmark desk officer, and assistant desk officer for South Africa. His first tour was in Manama, Bahrain.</p>

<p>Ambassador Norland was born in Morocco, his parents’ first diplomatic assignment. Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1980 Ambassador Norland worked as a legislative analyst in the Iowa House of Representatives. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, with Masters’ Degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the National War College. He is a recipient of the 2010 Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award presented by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and numerous Superior Honor and Senior Performance awards. He speaks Russian, French, and Norwegian, and has studied introductory Arabic and Latvian. He and his wife Mary Hartnett have two children and four grandchildren.</p>

<p>The former Soviet republic of Georgia is to be sent a new ambassador who previously served there as a peacekeeping monitor during the Georgian Civil War of the 1990s. Richard B. Norland, who was nominated by President Obama on February 17, 2012, would be the seventh U.S. ambassador to Georgia since it became independent in 1991.</p>

<p>Norland comes of diplomatic stock. He was born in Rabat, Morocco, where his father, Donald R. Norland, was serving his first foreign posting, as a cultural affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy. Norland grew up in Africa and Europe, as well as the United States. He earned a B.S. at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1977, an M.A. in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies in 1992, and a Masters of National Security Strategy degree from the National War College in 2002. Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1980, Norland worked as a legislative analyst in the Iowa House of Representatives.</p>

<p>After joining the Foreign Service, Norland’s first tour was at the American Embassy in Manama, Bahrain, from 1981 to 1982, followed by service at the United States’ northernmost diplomatic office, 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, as chief of the US Information Office in Tromsø, Norway, from 1986 to 1988. He then served as political officer at the embassy in Moscow, USSR, from 1988 to 1990, during President Gorbachev’s tenure and the period of glasnost and perestroika.</p>

<p>Norland served as a peacekeeping monitor in Georgia with the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1993, and visited Chechnya in a similar capacity in 1995.</p>

<p>He was assigned as political counselor at the embassy in Dublin, Ireland, from 1995 to 1998, and as senior Arctic official coordinating the US chairmanship of the Arctic Council from 1998 to 1999. He also provided advice on the Northern Ireland peace process as director for European Affairs at the National Security Council from 1999 to 2001. He got caught up in the post 9/11 maelstrom when he was assigned to serve as political officer in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, from October 2002 to January 2003, working with the US Army to promote political and economic reconstruction in Afghanistan. This was followed by his posting as deputy chief of mission at the Embassy in Riga, Latvia, from 2003 to 2005. He returned to Afghanistan to serve as deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Kabul from 2005 to 2007.</p>

<p>Norland’s first ambassadorship was to another former Soviet republic, Uzbekistan, a U.S.-friendly dictatorship, where he served from September 2007 to July 2010. His diplomatic cables from the country, as released by WikiLeaks, are peppered with “Tashkent Tidbits” that include speculation about who will succeed Islam Karimov as the nation’s ruler. After leaving Uzbekistan, Norland became an international affairs advisor and deputy commandant at the National War College.</p>

<p>Norland speaks French, Russian, Norwegian and Latvian. He and his wife, Mary Hartnett, have a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Kate.</p>

<p>Richard Boyce Norland (born 1955) is an American diplomat. He currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Libya.</p>

<p>Ambassador Richard Norland previously served as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford. Prior to that he served as U.S. Ambassador to Georgia (2012-2015), Deputy Commandant/International Affairs Advisor at the National War College (2010-2012), U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan (2007-2010), and Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan (2005-2007) and Riga, Latvia (2003-2005).</p>

<p>From October 2002 through January 2003, Richard Norland served in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan as a diplomat with the U.S. Army Civil Affairs team promoting political and economic reconstruction.</p>

<p>Richard Norland was Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council for two years during the Clinton and Bush administrations, focusing in particular on the Northern Ireland peace process, as well as on the Baltic States, OSCE, and a number of key European partners. He served as Political Counselor at the American Embassy in Dublin, Ireland from 1995 through the negotiation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.</p>

<p>Richard Norland served from 1988-1990 as Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, USSR during President Gorbachev's tenure and the period of glasnost and perestroika. He was subsequently detailed to the Pentagon's Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he worked on policy issues following the break-up of the Soviet Union. He served in 1993 as the U.S. representative and acting mission head on the CSCE Mission to Georgia, addressing conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and later visited Chechnya in a similar capacity.</p>

<p>Earlier in his career, Richard Norland served in the United States' northernmost diplomatic office, 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, as Chief of the U.S. Information Office in Tromsø, Norway. He later served as Senior Arctic Official coordinating the U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council. He was also a Special Assistant (for African affairs) to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs. He served as Norway-Denmark desk officer, and as assistant desk officer for South Africa. His first tour was in Manama, Bahrain.</p>

<p>On April 2, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Richard Norland to be the United States Ambassador to Libya. On August 1, 2019, the Senate confirmed his nomination by voice vote. He assumed office on August 8, 2019.</p>

<p>The son of an American diplomat, Ambassador Norland was born in Morocco and grew up in Africa and Europe as well as the United States. Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1980, Ambassador Norland worked as a legislative analyst in the Iowa House of Representatives. He graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in 1977. He has master's degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the National War College. In addition to English, he speaks Russian, French and Norwegian. He and his wife, Mary Hartnett, have two children.</p>