Steve Draper

Steve Draper

Senior Consultant and Staff Writer

Steve Draper served more than 21 years in the U.S. Navy as an officer in special operations, explosive ordnance disposal, and intelligence. He has experience countering transnational threats and leading intelligence teams and staffs in support of special operations forces and counter-terrorism missions.

Steve led an EOD platoon early in the Iraq war and on three separate deployments he directed the intelligence activities of all U.S. special operations forces in central and east Africa. He also led the U.S. Defense Department’s intelligence team that was focused on removing African warlord Joseph Kony and other senior commanders of the Lord’s Resistance Army from the battlefield. He finished his career directing U.S. European Command’s transnational threat intelligence analysis division and teaching analytic tradecraft. After he retired, Steve has worked in Kenya managing security, intelligence, risk management and capacity building programs for government and commercial clients, and in Seattle in travel risk management.

Steve has a master’s degree in international security, specializing in low intensity conflict and irregular warfare, and has experience in corporate risk management, travel risk management, and corporate intelligence and business resilience programs.