Captain Brad Cooper is a 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a B.S. in Economics. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Susan, a talented Speech-Language Pathologist and deeply devoted Navy spouse. They are the proud parents of two great teenagers.
Captain Cooper’s career has been marked by global service in every Combatant Command theater of operation, including a tour on the ground in Afghanistan, as well as 4 tours working for senior leaders in the U.S. Department of Defense and the government of Afghanistan.
Afloat, Cooper’s tours include service as the CIC Officer in USS THOMAS S. GATES (CG 51), Flag Aide to the Commander, EISENHOWER Carrier Strike Group, Operations Officer in USS FITZGERALD (DDG 62) and USS ANZIO (CG 68) and Executive Officer in USS VICKSBURG (CG 69). He most recently had the great life privilege to serve as the Commanding Officer in USS RUSSELL (DDG 59).
Cooper has participated in 13 named operations including: Operation DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM; 3 counter-narcotic deployments off the coast of South America; enforcement of the no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina against the former Republic of Yugoslavia; Haitian migrant operations; 3 deployments in the Arabian Gulf conducting maritime interdiction against the former regime of Saddam Hussein; deployed operations leading up to the Kosovo campaign; a deployment to the North Arabian Sea immediately following the attacks of 9/11; counter-insurgency operations against the Taliban and Al Queda in eastern Afghanistan; and, a deployment to the Western Pacific.
Ashore, he most recently served as Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; other staff tours include service as: Special Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany; Executive Assistant to the Afghan Minister of the Interior; Division Chief for Strategic Reform of the Afghan Police and Border Guards while assigned to Combined Security Transition Command, Afghanistan; Flag Aide to the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, headquartered in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and, 3 tours in the Navy Personnel Command as an assignment officer, including service as the Deputy Director for Surface Warfare Officer assignments.
Cooper has studied International Relations at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He earned a M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College in Washington, D.C., graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and briefly served as a Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.
Captain Cooper was the 2003 recipient of the Surface Navy's Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Award for Visionary Leadership. His 17 personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star Medal. Crews and teams with whom he has served have earned 10 unit commendations and 8 “Battle E” awards for operational excellence, including back-to-back awards during his command tour in RUSSELL.
Brad Cooper's Posts
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23 States Have Now Passed Pro-Military Spouse License Portability Measures
June 26, 2012 at 4:32 PM EDTWith a new law in Illinois, 23 states have adopted pro-military spouse license portability measures -- allowing more military families to more easily transition jobs between moves.
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New Guide Highlights Best Practices and Innovations in Helping Veterans Thrive in the Private Sector
June 11, 2012 at 12:16 PM EDTMore than 30 companies and organizations from America’s private sector share lessons learned in effective recruitment, assimilation, retention, and development of veterans in the civilian workforce
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A Big Week for Joining Forces
May 25, 2012 at 12:20 PM EDTCompanies across the country make new commitments to join forces and hire thousands of veterans.
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VA and Department of Labor Program to Retrain 99,000 Unemployed Veterans Is Now Accepting Applications
May 15, 2012 at 10:03 AM EDTThe Veterans Retraining Assistance Program will help our nation’s heroes gain meaningful training in a new skill to help them find jobs.
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Recognizing the Contributions of Military Spouses
May 11, 2012 at 12:08 PM EDTOn Military Spouse Appreciation Day, Joining Forces Executive Director Navy Captain Brad Cooper reflects on the service of the more than one million military husbands and wives
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President Obama Signs Executive Order Supporting Service Members, Veterans, Military Spouses, and Their Families
April 27, 2012 at 1:09 PM EDTPresident Obama's order is designed to protect veteran education benefits programs and combat unscrupulous practices used by schools to gain access to those benefits.
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60,000 Veterans and Military Spouses Have Been Hired Through Joining Forces Employment Initiatives
April 13, 2012 at 3:34 PM EDTFirst Lady Michelle Obama made the announcement at an event on the Joining Forces anniversary tour
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First Lady Announces 15,000 Jobs for Military Spouses
April 4, 2012 at 6:58 PM EDTA new effort will help deliver jobs that are physically located near bases, plus thousands of highly sought-after at-home employment opportunities to military families across the country
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Thirty Five Soldiers Offered Jobs in One Day at Texas Job Fair
March 19, 2012 at 12:01 PM EDTJoining Forces partners with private-sector companies in Fort Hood, Texas to make sure American soldiers transitioning out of the military are given quality jobs.
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Hiring Veterans: Good for a Company’s Bottom Line
March 7, 2012 at 11:10 AM EDTNation’s leading institute for veterans and military families publishes “Business Case” for hiring veterans
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