It might not be a stretch to say that Kaua’i native Anthony M. “Tony” Mira has the president’s ear when it comes to anti-terrorism matters. After serving in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years, with most of his assignments
It might not be a stretch to say that Kaua’i native Anthony M. “Tony” Mira has the president’s ear when it comes to anti-terrorism matters.
After serving in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years, with most of his assignments in Asia, Mira has been all around the world performing anti-terrorism trouble-shooting.
Mira, son of Juliette Mira of ‘Ele’ele and the late Zoilo Mira, is a 1970 graduate of Waimea High School, and was recently promoted to assistant director, Anti-Terrorism Division, for the U.S. Department of Commerce, in Washington, D.C.
He provides managerial and policy oversight of the department’s anti-terrorism, risk-assessment program, for over 700 facilities within the continental United States and 30 overseas facilities located outside the security perimeter of the U.S. embassy compounds, a Cabinet-level protective detail, and an information-collection-and-analysis mission.
In 2001, he completed a 30-year career with the U.S. Air Force, with most of his military assignments served throughout Asia.
In 2002, he began work with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he served as an overseas physical security officer.
He traveled extensively throughout Eastern Europe and the former Soviet-bloc countries, assessing protective measures for agency facilities and personnel, he said.
Recent assignments and security projects took him to highly volatile central and northern Iraq, and the recently-independent country of East Timor.
Following those successful assignments, he was reassigned to manage USAID’s National Industrial Security Program, where he coordinated security-access requirements involving classified contracts and cleared contractors.
As much of the world as he has seen, he still longs for his home island, he said. “I’ve been all over the world, and have had so many interesting experiences.
“However, throughout it all, I still yearn to be on Kaua’i, even as slow as it is.”
The eldest son of Juliette Mira of ‘Ele’ele and the late Zoilo Mira, Anthony Mira earned his master’s degree from Regis University, and his bachelor’s degree from Chaminade University of Honolulu.
He and his wife Joanne, who have been married for 29 years, live in Maryland. Two sons live in Colorado.
Brothers Jeffrey, Gregory and Timothy, and sister Julie, and their families, all live on Kaua’i.
I’m a friend of Anthony M. Mira (Tony). We were stationed together at Clark Air Base, Philippines in the mid 70’s. I would like to make contact with him.