Professor and Chair, Department of National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College
David A. Cooper has served as Chair of the Department of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College since 2010 and holds a faculty appointment as The James V. Forrestal Professor of National Security Affairs.
Dr. Cooper is a scholar-practitioner who served for almost two decades on the professional staff of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), where he held tenured career appointment in the Senior Executive Service (SES). His last SES assignment was in a 2-star equivalent position at the fledgling U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), where he established and led one of six joint directorates (J-9) that was responsible for partnership and strategic communication. Before that he served as the Pentagon’s Principal Director for Homeland Security Integration, managing strategic planning and coordination of the Defense Department’s various homeland security missions.