Joseph Achacoso
Joseph Achacoso is CEO of the US Africa Trading, LLC, a diamond export company located in the Central African Republic. Joe is a graduate of Villanova University. He sits on the board of advisors to Kumotek a leading artificial intelligence robotics company based in Dallas.
After graduation, Joseph was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he received the Army Achievement Medal for flawless work from the Commanding General of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Next, he attended the Officer Basic Course. Upon graduation, he was sent to Mannheim, Germany and deployed with North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces to Hungary and Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor also known as IFOR, Implementation Force. Lieutenant Achacoso commanded the first convoy over the reconstructed Brcko Bridge, which was one of the most hotly, contested areas during the Balkan war. After redeployment, First Lieutenant Achacoso was again sent to Hungary and the Former Republic of Yugoslavia as a Logistics Staff Officer in support of Operation Joint Guard- SFOR, Stabilization Force. In this capacity, Lieutenant Achacoso was a contracting officer representative overseeing a large Lockheed Martin defense contract.
Lieutenant Achacoso then continued to work as a movement officer responsible for an area extending from the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) region to the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. When the Kosovo Campaign started Captain Achacoso was selected to be the executive officer and then commander of the movement control team responsible for the international effort, which provided the onward movement of TASK FORCE FALCON comprised of over 5,000 tanks, artillery, and other pieces of heavy equipment from the Port of Thessaloniki, Greece to Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Captain Achacoso also acted as the Task Force liaison to the NATO Allied Command Post- South. After leaving Europe, Captain Achacoso was assigned to Fort Eustis, Virginia as a Logistics Officer responsible for soldiers forward deployed to the Middle East, the Caribbean and Asia. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Captain Achacoso extended his release from active duty orders in order to help his unit prepare for eventual deployment. Captain Achacoso left the active military to start his own business and joined the reserves where again he was called to support Operation Noble Eagle. Captain Achacoso was the Operations Officer for the largest power projection platform, Fort Dix, New Jersey, in the United States preparing over 150 units and 20,000 soldiers in support of United States' Global War on Terrorism. In June of 2005, Captain Achacoso was promoted to the rank of Major. Major Achacoso is the S-3 Operations officer for the 1/98th Engineer Battalion.
Major Achacoso has been awarded numerous Meritorious Service, Army Commendation, Achievement, and Campaign Medals for his service to the country. Major Achacoso is a graduate of the Officer Basic Course, Combined Logistics Captain's Career Course, Combined Arms and Staff Service School, Contracting Officer's Representative Course, and is currently enrolled in the Command and General Staff College's Intermediate Level Education.
Mr. Achacoso is a member and former trustee of the American Legion Post 372, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2445, the Reserve Officer's Association, the Army and Navy Club of Washington, DC, the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, and the National Defense Industrial Association. In August 2004 Major Achacoso was selected as a member of the Reserve Officer's Association Confederation of Interallied Reserve Officers/NATO Partnership for Peace Committee. In April 2006, the American Council of Young Political Leaders selected Joseph to serve as a member of the delegation to Pakistan.
Joe has been appointed by the White House as a member of the President's National Hire Veterans Committee from 2004 to 2006. Again in 2007, he was appointed by the Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao to serve on the Advisory Committee for Veterans Employment Training Services Employer Outreach. He is also the Vice President of the Pan Asian-American Leadership Caucus, an organization that promotes civic duty among Asian Americans. He is a member of the Union League of Philadelphia, Business Executives for National Security, and Joe serves on the fundraising committee for the The Veterans for National Security Foundation. He is a Knight of Malta.