Special Ops vs Boogie Nights – Ezra Cohen & Chris Miller
Mr. Ezra Cohen served as Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security beginning on Nov. 10, 2020. He previously served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. In that role, he was responsible for all policy formulation and oversight for Department of Defense counterterrorism, special operations, counter-narcotics, detainee affairs, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and stability operations. Separately, Mr. Cohen provided oversight of all organize, train, and equip activities for United States Special Operations Command, and ensured alignment of a $14 billion budget with the National Security and National Defense strategies.
Mr. Cohen previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counter-narcotics and Global Threats. In this capacity, he led the Department of Defense’s global counter-narcotics and threat finance policies and operations, among other global issues, overseeing a budget of over $1 billion.
Before becoming Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counter-narcotics, Mr. Cohen served in several roles within the United States Government, including within the Department of Defense and National Security Council. At the National Security Council, Mr. Cohen served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs. In this role, Mr. Cohen was principally responsible for the implementation of the President’s National Security objectives through the vast array of intelligence community capabilities. Additionally, Mr. Cohen was the United States Government’s strategic level policy coordinator for all intelligence programs and sensitive activities, including covert action, human intelligence, counterintelligence, electronic surveillance, information operations, special reconnaissance, and intelligence sharing.
During his previous service in the Department of Defense, Mr. Cohen completed a number of overseas assignments in Latin America and South Asia.
In the private sector, Mr. Cohen was the Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives at Oracle Corporation, where he advised the Chief Executive Officer on national security issues. Additionally, Mr. Cohen was responsible for an international effort to deploy Oracle’s high-security cloud computing technology to allied governments, primarily within NATO.
Mr. Cohen holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Mr. Christopher C. Miller served as the Acting Secretary of Defense, from Nov. 9, 2020, until Jan. 20, 2021.
Earlier in 2020, he Performed the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict. He also previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism (SOCT). Mr. Miller was responsible for overseeing the employment of special operations forces in counterterrorism, Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Information Operations, unconventional warfare, irregular warfare, direct action, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, counter proliferation, sensitive special operations, and personnel recovery/hostage issues as specified by the Secretary of Defense. Mr. Miller was sworn in as the DASD for SOCT on Jan. 6, 2020.
From March 2018 through December 2019, Mr. Miller served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism and Transnational Threats at the National Security Council (NSC). In this position, Mr. Miller was responsible for strategic level policy making and implementation, and support to senior NSC and White House leadership.
Mr. Miller was raised in Iowa City, Iowa and is a retired U.S. Army officer. He was commissioned as an Infantry officer in 1987 through R.O.T.C. with a Bachelor of Arts in History from the George Washington University. Mr. Miller began his military career as an enlisted Infantryman in the Army Reserve in 1983 and also served in the District of Columbia National Guard as a Military Policeman. In 1993, he transferred to Special Forces and served in numerous command and staff positions within the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Throughout his career, he served within other special operations organizations, culminating with command of the 2nd Battalion, 5th SFG(A). Mr. Miller participated in the initial combat operations in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, in addition to numerous follow-on deployments to both theaters, and has extensive inter-agency and joint special operations experience. Upon retirement from the Army in 2014, Mr. Miller worked for over two years as a defense contractor providing clandestine Special Operations and Intelligence expertise directly to the Under Secretaries of Defense for Intelligence and Policy.
Mr. Miller possesses a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies from the Naval War College and is a graduate of the Naval College of Command and Staff and the Army War College. Mr. Miller lives in Virginia with his wife. They have two grown daughters and a son in college.
