After commissioning from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School in 1997, COL Leffler served as a tactical military intelligence officer in the Republic of Korea and at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He also served as a member of the U.S. contingent to International Forces East Timor (INTERFET). He was then assigned to Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) in Hawaii. He also served with the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force conducting counterterrorist advise/assist operations in the PhilippinesAfter commissioning from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School in 1997, COL Leffler served as a tactical military intelligence officer in the Republic of Korea and at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He also served as a member of the U.S. contingent to International Forces East Timor (INTERFET). He was then assigned to Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) in Hawaii. He also served with the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force conducting counterterrorist advise/assist operations in the Philippines.
COL Leffler was selected as a Foreign Area Officer (FAO) and attended the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College in Kuala Lumpur. He was then assigned as Director of Plans/Policy for the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group (JUSMAGTHAI) at U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand. After leaving Bangkok, he worked in the Security Cooperation Division at U.S. Pacific Command Headquarters in Hawaii. From there, he was selected to serve as Military Advisor to the Ambassador, U.S. Mission to ASEAN (USASEAN) in Indonesia.
Next, COL Leffler worked in the Army Senior Leader Development (SLD) Office as Human Resource Manager for FAO and Strategist colonels worldwide. He was then selected for Senior Service College, which he completed as a Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) Senior Military Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
He then served as Army Attaché in Islamabad, Pakistan, notably serving as Acting Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché (SDO/DATT) during the retrograde of U.S./allied forces from Afghanistan. COL Leffler then returned to Thailand to serve as SDO/DATT and Chief, Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group-Thailand (JUSMAGTHAI). He is now a faculty member at the U.S. National War College in Washington, D.C.
He has a Master’s degree in Southeast Asia Studies from Ohio University, a Bachelor’s in International Relations from The Ohio State University, an Associate’s in Thai Language from Defense Language Institute, a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Studies from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and a diploma from the U.S. Army War College. He has studied the Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Urdu languages.
He has received various decorations and awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, the Korea Defense Service Medal, and the Senior Parachutist Badge.
COL Leffler is a native of the great state of Ohio. He has a daughter, who graduated from West Point and served as a U.S. Army officer, and a son, who is a commercial pilot in training. He is married to Ommi, a dance teacher/choreographer and former professional ballerina.