PERSON: Rick Francona

Military Analyst

Rick Francona (born 31 August 1951) is an author, commentator and media military analyst. He is a retired United States Air Force intelligence officer with experience in the Middle East, including tours of duty with the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. He was under contract to NBC News and appeared regularly on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC, as well as Radio Canada and other media. In 2013, he became a military analyst with CNN.

Francona served for over 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, most of it in the Middle East. Fluent in Arabic, he served in the region with the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. He has a bachelor’s degree from Chapman College (now Chapman University) in Government and the Arabic language, and a master’s degree from Troy State University in International Relations with a concentration in Middle East studies. He is a cousin of the current Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona.

Francona and his wife Emily, also a retired Air Force intelligence officer, reside in Port Orford, Oregon.

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