Chris Simmons (born June 11, 1960) is a four-time war veteran, American author and internationally known authority on counterterrorism and espionage issues, especially Cuba’s intelligence services ^[1]. He is “considered one of America’s most successful spy-catchers, having destroyed or crippled the careers of more than 80 spies”(FoxCT)

He did his undergraduate work at the Virginia Military Institute and graduate studies at American University.

Simmons is the author of several forthcoming books, to include the true-life spy story “In Plain Sight: True Stories of a Master Spy-Catcher” and the personal growth work, HUMAN CHESS: A Spy’s Guide to Understanding and Influencing Others.(StAugustine.com & KASA2) From 2007-2008, he wrote a column on Cuban Intelligence for The Miami Herald.(Cuba Companioni).

He served in Grenada, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan and interrogated more than 732 terrorists and other “high-value individuals” throughout his career. In Iraq, he was part of the special operations unit “Task Force 6-26″ and spent a total of 28 years in government service.(FoxCT) According to the Miami Herald, Simmons – then a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division, “was involved the last major firefight of the invasion, a 10-minute clash that left seven PRA fighters dead. Another U.S. unit trying to support his platoon caused a friendly-fire incident, in which one U.S. Ranger captain was killed.”(Juan Tamayo, Miami Herald, 10-25-13) A former Army paratrooper, Simmons achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring from military service in 2010.(Juan Tamayo, Miami Herald, 10-25-13)

CNN called Simmons “one of the country's foremost authorities on Cuban intelligence and counterintelligence.” (CNN, 6-8-09) while internationally known author & Columnist Carlos Alberto Montaner wrote “Chris Simmons…is the most knowledgeable expert there is about the activities of Cuban intelligence in the United States.” (Carlos Montaner, Miami Herald, 6-23-09) In May 2012, he testified on Cuban intelligence affairs to a subcommittee of the House of Representatives’’ Committee on Foreign Affairs.(House). Three years earlier, in 2009, he provided information briefings to the same Committee on November 18th and June 24th and served as the key speaker at the Jun 15, 2009 Miami press conference on spies Kendall & Gwen Myers. The last event was hosted by Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen. (House Comm on For Affairs, 6-19-09; House Comm on For Affairs, 11-16-09) He has also lectured on Cuban Intelligence throughout the US Intelligence Community, to the Florida legislature and academia and is widely cited in the US and foreign media. (Cuba Companioni).

Simmons was a principal figure in most US Counterintelligence successes against Cuba from1996-2004. (Cuba Companioni). In May 2003, Simmons was the lead Pentagon official behind the expulsion of 14 Cuban spies serving under diplomatic cover. It remains the third largest diplomatic expulsion in U.S. history.(FoxCT) As a Defense Department civilian, Simmons was “the top Cuba counterintelligence specialist at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.”(Tamayo, MH, 10-25-13) There, he “played a key role in the identification, investigation, and debriefing of convicted Cuban spy Ana Belen Montes.(House FA, 6-11-09) In an unrelated investigation, Simmons played a central role in identifying Alberto Coll, a [Naval War College] professor and former deputy assistant secretary of defense, as a Cuban agent. Coll was subsequently arrested.(FoxCT

Simmons is the Vice Chairman of the Loudoun [County] Soil & Water Conservation District in Northern Virginia.(LSWCD). He is also 1st Vice President of the Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts.(VASWCD) Since 2012, he has also been the board chairman of the Healthy Waters Foundation. This nonprofit, supported in part by the Trump Organization, is to establish the definitive model for riparian buffer enhancement. The organization will initially use the Potomac River for its “Proof of Concept.” According to Susan VanEpps with the Loudoun Department of Economic Development, “The riparian buffer improvement program will be a completely voluntary offering…to the 118 owners of 162 parcels along the Potomac River.”(VanEpps)

^[1] Chardy, Alfonso. “Spy Catcher Claims Four Are Agents For Cuba,” Miami Herald, August 8, 2008, http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/espionage/spy-catcher.htm, downloaded December 1, 2013.

^[2]Cuba Companioni. “Miami Herald Blasted for Omitting Ties Between Cuban Spies & Havanatur, May 11, 2009, http://www.cubacompanioni.net/2009/05/miami-herald-blasted-for-omiting-ties.html, downloaded November 13, 2013.

^[3]Fontova, Humberto. The Longest Romance: The Mainstream Media and Fidel Castro, New York: Encounter Books, 2013.

^[4]FoxCT, “Former Army Paratrooper Turned Spy-Catcher Talks About His Life,” http://foxct.com/2013/11/11/former-army-paratrooper-turned-spy-catcher-talks-about-his-life/, downloaded November 12, 2013.

^[5]House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “Ros-Lehtinen to Host Briefing by “Spy Catcher” Chris Simmons on Threats Posed by Cuban Spies in U.S.,” June 19, 2009, http://archives.republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov/news/story/?1235, downloaded November 13, 2013.

^[6]House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “Ros-Lehtinen to Host Briefing on Cuba Threat to U.S.,” November 16, 2009, http://archives.republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov/news /story/?1045, downloaded November 13, 2013.

^[7]House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “Ros-Lehtinen Holds Press Conference on Cuban Spies With “Spy Catcher” Chris Simmons,” June 11, 2009, http://archives.republicans. foreignaffairs.house.gov/news/blog/?refine=date&keyword=6/2009, downloaded November 13, 2013.

^[8]KASA2. “How to Know When Your Child is Lying,” Albuquerque, NM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jPdB5u2kp4, November 4, 2013, downloaded November 17, 2013.

^[9]Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District, “Contact Us,” http://www.loudounsoilandwater.com/contact-us/, downloaded November 17, 2013.

^[10]Michigan Talk Network (MTN) Interview With Morning Hosts Steve Gruber & Jo Anne Paul, “Sochi Olympics Terrorist Threat,” www.michigantalknetwork.com, Jan 28.

^[11]Montaner, Carlos Alberto. “Cuba's spy program deeply rooted in U.S.,” Miami Herald, June 23, 2009.

^[12]Sanchez, Rick. “Havana’s Spies For 30 Years? US Couple Called “True Believers” in Cuba,” June 8, 2009, CNN, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJplfYCvgyU, downloaded January 29, 2014.

^[13]Simmons, Chris. “Written Testimony of Christopher Scott Simmons – Founding Editor, Cuba Confidential – Before a Hearing of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives, Thursday, May 17, 2012 – Cuba’s Global Network of Terrorism, Intelligence, and Warfare,” http://archives. republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov/112/HHRG-112-FA07-WState-SimmonsC-2012 0517.pdf., downloaded November 12, 2013.

^[14]StAugustine.com. “Cuba Rebuilds Spy Network, Author Claims,” July 6, 2008, http://staugustine.com/stories/070608/state_news01_022.shtml, downloaded November 17, 2013.

^[15]Tamayo, Juan. “Former FBI Informant Now Living Posh Lifestyle in Cuba,” Miami Herald, September 15, 2013, http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/15/3629571/former-fbi-informant-now-living.html, downloaded December 1, 2013.

^[16]Tamayo, Juan. “U.S. Invasion of Grenada, 30 Years Later,” Miami Herald, October 25, 2013, http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/24/3709792/us-invasion-of-grenada-30-years.html, downloaded November 12, 2013.

^[17]VanEpps, Susan. “Healthy Waters Initiative Announced,” Loudoun Virginia Economic Development, December 13, 2012, http://www.biz.loudoun.gov/Blog.aspx?IID=40#item, downloaded November 17, 2013.

^[18]Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts. “Board Members,” http://www.vaswcd.org/sample-page, undated, downloaded November 17, 2013.

Human Chess http://humanchess.co/

Cuba Confidential http://cubaconfidential.wordpress.com/