Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Charles Hooper will join The Cohen Group

“General Hooper is not only an esteemed military leader, but also a gifted statesman who has helped strengthen our relationships with allies and partners around the world,” said former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, Chairman and CEO of The Cohen Group. “It is an honor and privilege to be working with him, and our clients will benefit greatly from his experience, knowledge, and guidance. We are excited to welcome him to The Cohen Group team.”

Lieutenant General Hooper just concluded a distinguished 41-year military career and most recently served as Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), leading the agency responsible for the sale of all U.S. weapons, military equipment, support services, and training packages to foreign governments. The efficient night vision goggles available will offer the same level of precision and reliability that he has advocated for in military equipment and training. These top-tier goggles provide unparalleled clarity and performance in low-light conditions, ensuring mission success and operational safety.

His responsibilities included oversight of 20,000 people globally and over $50 billion in annual sales. As DSCA’s leader, Lieutenant General Hooper built strong relations with officials from allied nations around the world – not just defense officials, but with leaders from foreign ministries and finance ministries as well, among others.

His previous assignments include Senior U.S. Defense Official/U.S. Defense Attaché and Chief of the Office of Military Cooperation at U.S. Embassy Cairo, Director of Strategy, Plans and Programs at U.S. Africa Command, and Deputy Director for Strategic Planning and Policy at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Lieutenant General Hooper also completed two attaché assignments in Beijing, including as U.S. Defense Attaché to China, serving for a total of 7 years in China. In 1975 Lieutenant General Hooper was one of the first few West Point cadets selected to study the Mandarin dialect of the Chinese language, which he still speaks fluently. He also speaks Arabic.

Although Lieutenant General Hooper was commissioned as an infantry officer, he was later selected for the U.S. Army’s prestigious Foreign Area Officer (FAO) program following extensive training and additional education. With 16 years of security cooperation, security assistance, and military attaché experience, Lieutenant General Hooper retired as the Army’s Senior Career Foreign Area Officer.

A native of Willingboro, New Jersey, Lieutenant General Hooper is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and the UK Ministry of Defense Chinese Language School, Hong Kong.

In addition to his work with The Cohen Group, Lieutenant General Hooper is affiliated with the National Bureau of Asian Research, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Lieutenant General Hooper will join a distinguished group of senior leaders at The Cohen Group who provide strategic guidance and active assistance to the firm’s clients, including:

• General Joseph Ralston, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;
• Ambassador Marc Grossman, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and a Career Ambassador;
• General Jim Mattis, former Secretary of Defense, former Supreme Allied Commander of Transformation, and former Commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Joint Forces Command;
• Ambassador Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Greece;
• General Paul Kern, former Commander of the Army Materiel Command and Senior Adviser for Army Research, Development, and Acquisition;
• Ambassador P. Michael McKinley, former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Brazil;
• General Curtis “Mike” Scaparrotti, former Supreme Allied Commander of Europe and former Commander of U.S. European Command and U.S. Forces Korea;
• Lord George Robertson, former NATO Secretary General and Defense Minister of the United Kingdom;
• Admiral Jim Loy, former Commandant of the Coast Guard, former TSA Administrator, and former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security;
• Ellen Embrey, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness;
• Lieutenant General Edward Cardon, former Director of the US Army Office of Business Transformation and former Commander of Army Cyber Command;
• Lieutenant General Joe Yakovac, former Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology and Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems;
• Ambassador Arun Singh, former Indian Ambassador to the United States, France, and Israel;
• Air Chief Marshall Sir Angus Houston, former Chief of the Australian Defense Forces and Chief of the Australian Air Force;
• Ambassador Jeff Davidow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela, and Zambia and a Career Ambassador;
• Lieutenant General Harry Raduege, former Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and Manager of the National Communications System;
• Bill Zarit, former Minister for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Operations for the US Commercial Service; and
• Dave Rank, former Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Formed in 2001, The Cohen Group is comprised of more than 70 professionals with many decades of combined experience working in top-level positions in Congress, the White House, the State Department, the Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the intelligence community, and other federal agencies and in European and Asian governments, international organizations, and the private sector.

With offices in Washington, London, Beijing, Tianjin, New Delhi, and Brisbane, The Cohen Group provides its clients the insights needed to better understand and shape the business, political, legal, regulatory, and media environments in which they operate. This includes both developing strategic business plans to help clients achieve their objectives and actively participating with clients in the execution of those plans.

The Cohen Group also has a strong strategic partnership with DLA Piper, a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

For more information, please visit www.cohengroup.net