The Honorable R. Clarke Cooper is the founder of the national security consultancy, Guard Hill House, LLC, serves as managing partner for World Water & Power, LLC, is a published Distinguished Fellow with the Atlantic Council, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Mr. Cooper has over two decades of experience in diplomatic, intelligence, and military roles. During his service as US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs from 2019 – 2021, 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. 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.

In previous diplomatic posts, Mr. Cooper served as US Alternate Representative to the United Nations Security Council, US Delegate to the United Nations Administration & Budget Committee, Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, and Advisor at US Embassy Baghdad. Throughout his career, Mr. Cooper has been known for his longtime advocacy of security cooperation and burden sharing among allies and partners. He has consistently sought performance measures across UN peacekeeping missions and advanced accountability measures for troop and police contributing countries.

Mr. Cooper is a combat veteran who served overseas tours with the Joint Special Operations Command, Special Operations Command Africa, Joint Special Operations Task Force Trans-Sahara, and Special Operations Command Central.

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

Mr. Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree in history at the Florida State University, and an MBA at the University of Oxford, where he rowed for St. Hugh’s College.

He joined Spirit of America’s Advisory Board in 2025.