Ambassador

RAVIC R. HUSO
Ambassador to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Ambassador Ravic R. Huso

Mr. Ravic R. Huso is the Ambassador to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. He served as Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, from 2004-2007. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand (2001-2004).

His first State Department assignments were to the U.S. Embassies in Burkina Faso (1981-82), where he served as General Services Officer, and in Burundi (1982-85), where he worked as a Political and Economic reporting officer. 

He returned to Washington where he was assigned to the Office of Philippine Affairs (1985-87) and then to the Office of Australia and New Zealand Affairs (1987-88). After a year of language training, Mr. Huso went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as Deputy Political Counselor. He was the Deputy Chief of Mission in Niamey, Niger, (1993-96).

He served as the State Department's Deputy Director and then Director for Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam Affairs (1996-99). From July 1999 to August 2000, he was a Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council.

Mr. Huso received his undergraduate degree from the College of Idaho (1973) and earned a Master's Degree in International Relations from the University of Virginia (1976). He was selected by the State Department for senior training and chose to attend the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, graduating with the Class of 1993.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1980, Mr. Huso was a Peace Corps volunteer in southern Senegal (1976-78) where he worked in rural development. He subsequently worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development's Senegal mission.

His awards include the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award and the Order of the White Elephant, conferred by the King of Thailand for his contributions to U.S.-Thailand defense relations.

Ambassador Huso, in 2007, received the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, for his contributions to regional security as the Foreign Policy Advisor to U.S. Pacific Command.

He speaks fluent French and conversational Thai, Bahasa Malaysia and Italian.