Lt. Col. Ross Coffey joined the National Security Affairs Department in August 2020. Commissioned in 1994 as an infantry officer, he is a veteran of combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and operational deployments in Kosovo and Mali. He has led and commanded infantry formations as a company grade officer and as a Lt. Col. He most recently served as a joint operations planner in the U.S. Africa Command Directorate of Strategy, Engagement and Programs and previously served on the staff and faculty of the U.S. Military Academy.