Laura K. Cooper, currently an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia from 2017 to 2025. She spearheaded U.S. security assistance to Ukraine and orchestrated the 50-nation Ukraine Defense Contact Group to catalyze international assistance. A career member of the Senior Executive Service, Cooper served as the top Pentagon strategist on Russia. She also strengthened U.S. defense relationships across the region, including the Caucasus, Central Asia, Moldova, and the Western Balkans.
During her more than twenty-five years of federal service, she led portfolios spanning strategy, homeland defense, stability operations, and counterterrorism and served on the faculty of the National War College. Before joining the Department of Defense, Cooper was a policy planning officer at the State Department and a Junior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Education:
• Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University • Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University
• Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University.
Awards:
• The Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive
• The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal (Federal Employee of the Year)
• Multiple Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Medals • Multiple Office of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Medals
• The Order of Princess Olha, presented by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy