Hon. R. Clarke Cooper
Senior Advisor

 The Hon. R. Clarke Cooper has over two decades of experience in diplomatic, intelligence, and military roles. He served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs from 2019 - 2021, where he led a global enterprise of 600 personnel and, on an annual basis, oversaw $170 billion in arms sales and $16 billion in security assistance. In 2021, he received the Superior Honor Award for coordination and implementation of the security cooperation elements of the Abraham Accords in support of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Kingdom of Morocco normalizing relations with the State of Israel. 

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In previous diplomatic posts, Mr. Cooper served as U.S. Alternate Representative to the United Nations Security Council, U.S. Delegate to the United Nations Administration & Budget Committee, Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, and Advisor at U.S. Embassy-Baghdad. His active-duty military assignments included overseas tours with Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Africa Command, Special Operations Command Africa, Joint Special Operations Task Force Trans-Sahara, and Special Operations Command Central. 

An outdoor enthusiast, he served as Assistant Director of the National Park Service early in his career and attained the Eagle Scout rank in his youth. 

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Mr. Cooper is a graduate of Florida State University, an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in National and International Security program, and a postgraduate degree candidate at the University of Oxford where he rows on the men’s crew for St. Hugh’s College. 

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He is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council, an elected member of the Board of Governors of DACOR, and a Trustee of the DACOR Bacon House Foundation.