David Kilcullen

Dr. David Kilcullen is Professor of International and Political Studies at the University of New South Wales, Canberra, Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, and CEO of the research firm Cordillera Applications Group. He previously founded and led the global consulting firm Caerus Associates, and the technology firm First Mile Geo (now Native).

Dr. Kilcullen is a theorist and practitioner of guerrilla and unconventional warfare and counterterrorism, with operational experience over a 25-year career with the Australian and U.S. governments as a light infantry officer, intelligence officer, policy adviser and diplomat.

He served in Iraq as senior counterinsurgency advisor to U.S. General David Petraeus, then as a senior counterterrorism advisor to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and has served in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Libya and Colombia. He is the author of five prize-winning books on terrorism, insurgency, urbanization and future warfare as well as numerous scholarly papers on urbanization, conflict and future warfare.

He heads the Future Operations Research Group at UNSW Canberra, has led several concept design projects for U.S. and allied governments, and currently works with national and city-level governments in the United States, Australia, Africa, Latin America and Europe on urban development, public safety, resilience and counterterrorism.

He worked for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Afghanistan, and continues to work with advanced research agencies in the United States, Canada, the UK and elsewhere, focused on technology and future conflict. He is a lead researcher for NATO's ongoing Urbanization Program, and is an Associate of the South Africa-based Brenthurst Foundation.