Brian Knapp

Mr. Knapp joined the Cohen Group in September 2003 after an eighteen-year career at the U.S. Department of Defense. Most recently, he was a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy overseeing DoD's interactions with foreign defense establishments around the globe. He also developed regional strategies and coordinated discussions with key U.S. allies on issues such as global defense posture and defense strategy. From 1997-2002, Mr. Knapp gained significant congressional experience, serving as the House Liaison for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Through intensive advocacy efforts before Congressional appropriators, he helped achieve, with State Department and Office of Management and Budget cooperation, yearly increases in worldwide military assistance programs, including foreign military financing. He also recommended and implemented strategies and solutions concerning foreign aid legislation before Congress and advocated legislative initiatives to facilitate the Defense Department's management of military assistance programs. In the mid-1990s, Mr. Knapp served as the Secretary of Defense's representative to the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament and other multilateral negotiating bodies (including the United Nations and NATO). He developed policy approaches and specific negotiating steps related to weapons of mass destruction arms control and non-proliferation matters. He chaired the ten-nation Western Group negotiating conventional arms control issues and drafted the President's policy on security assurances provided to non-nuclear weapon states. Mr. Knapp started his tenure in the Department managing various U.S. Army international programs with allies and key partners. His travels took him to over twenty countries, where he negotiated the transfer of U.S. military equipment and established training opportunities for foreign military officers in U.S. military schoolhouses. Mr. Knapp is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2001, he completed a Master in Business Administration from Georgetown University while attending the School's International Executive program. He is a three-time recipient of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award. He chairs the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in the City of Fairfax, Virginia.