CRITICAL THINKING
One of his fondest memories involves accompanying the late Sen. John McCain on a tour of Norway, just after starting his job there in Oslo. “Tis was five days after I started in Norway, in late summer 2015,” DeHart recalled. “I was nervous because I didn’t really know the place yet and I didn’t really know the people yet. I think I had my first meeting with the Norwegian prime minister and foreign minister and defense minister, alongside John McCain.” McCain was widely admired in Norway, and DeHart said that government offi- cials showed their respect by organizing a high-profile tour for him. “Te Norwe- gians pulled out all the stops for him.” Tey scrambled their F-16 fighter jets for an intercept, provided a fighter escort for McCain’s flight and demonstrated vari- ous aircraft rolls and tactical maneuvers. Te group was then treated to a high-speed trip on a Zodiac inflatable boat to go see members of the Norwegian special forces conducting training in a remote location.
“Change is coming to the Arctic, and it’s going to be for better or for worse. We have to be involved and we have to be present, to make sure it’s for the better.”
Perhaps the most poignant part of the tour, DeHart found himself sitting with McCain on a f light across the coun- try, and heard him tell the story of his capture and imprisonment in North Viet- nam. “Sitting on the Beechcraft, together with the Norwegian deputy foreign minis- ter, and hearing Sen. McCain talk about his captivity in Vietnam, and tell us that whole story—I felt incredibly lucky to hear
that piece of history firsthand. To be there with him, hearing that, was a wonderful moment.”
As a career diplomat, DeHart has the opportunity to meet and work with polit- ical leaders and newsmakers from around the world. But some of his most moving experiences involve rank-and-file members of the U.S. military. In 2016, he was asked to be the guest of honor at the Marine Corps birthday ball hosted by the embas- sy’s small Marine Corps guard detachment in Oslo. “Tat was deeply humbling for a State Department officer, to be in the midst of all that tradition and the great pride that is in the room. To have the chance to speak to the whole group and be a part of that, was super memorable for me.”
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT What is diplomacy? Is it all about being politically correct? Compromising and
SPLISH SPLASH
One of several boats transporting Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work and his staff across the fjords from Norwegian Joint Headquarters to Bodø, Norway, encounters rough, soaking seas Sept. 9, 2015. DeHart and Sen. John McCain took a similar ride on their tour, just weeks earlier. (Photo by Glenn Fawcett, DOD)
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