Career
He served as American ambassador to Latvia in the George West. Bush administration and he currently advises international media and audience analysis firm InterMedia Research Institute on strategic communication matters. Carlson frequently speaks before public and civic groups across the country on public diplomacy and foreign affairs He is a contributing author to the forthcoming Georgetown University Press book Mission Creep: The Militarization of United States. Foreign Policy and co-author with Doctor Robert Banks of a 2014 study on the evaluation of diplomacy for the United States. Department of State.
He lectures on strategic communication at the National Defense University, the Naval, Air and Army War Colleges, and the National Foreign Affairs Training Center.
Having first taken up flying in 2006, Carlson is now an Federal Aviation Administration-certified commercial pilot with an instrument rating. He flies a Cirrus Social Research-22 out of Leesburg, Virginia as well as tailwheel aircraft and gliders.
Since joining Reston Runners in 1998, Carlson has completed nine marathons in cities such as New York, San Diego, Riga, Daugavpils, and Washington, District of Columbia. From 2006 to 2010, Ambassador Carlson was the State Department"s only liaison with the Department of Defense on strategic communication and public diplomacy matters. A 1969 graduate of Vanderbilt University, Brian Carlson served 36 years in the United States. Foreign Service, rising to the rank of Career Minister.
His foreign postings included stints in Latvia (as United States ambassador), Spain, England, Norway, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Venezuela.
After retiring from the Foreign Service, Carlson led several inspection teams in the Middle East and Washington for the Inspector General of the United States. Department of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors.