Name:   Talullahhound - Subject:   NOT VERY CLASSY Date:   2/8/2020 8:47:30 PM

Actually, he was considered a "soldier statesman" in the Foreign Area Officers program.  Over the years, I worked with a lot of them.  They speak the language and usually have had an assignment or two there.  They are trained in diplomatic techniques and are considered "experts" on their foreign area.  Not to big a jump that he would want to be a Foreign Area Officer since he was a native Ukraine speaker and likely grew up in the culture.  I had a good friend (now sadly, deceased) who was the same and was a FAO too for Eastern Europe.