About U.S. Naval War College

Professor Ross is a retired Royal Navy Commander. Joined the Royal Navy in 1975 and, after completion of basic training and a BS in Marine Zoology and Oceanography, he served variously in HM Ships around the world, from 1976 until 1996, when he arrived in Newport. He has taught ever since on the JMO Faculty, where he gained a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the War College in 1998. Following his retirement from active duty in Feb 2000, Professor Ross and his family settled in the U.S., and he has continued with his teaching and research activities. In 2005, he gained a second Masters Degree, this time in European History from Providence College.

David A. Cooper holds a tenured faculty appointment as The James V. Forrestal Professor of National Security Affairs. He previously served as Chair of the Department of National Security Affairs from 2010-2018. He teaches in the college's core and elective programs. His areas of expertise include nonproliferation, arms control and disarmament, weapons of mass destruction, multilateral negotiations and organizations, international relations theory, and U.S. foreign policy. He is a scholar-practitioner who served for almost two decades in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) where he held a career appointment in the Senior Executive Service (SES) including at the 2-star level.