Jessica D. Blankshain is an Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, where she teaches courses on foreign policy analysis, decision making, and civil-military relations. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University.

David A. Cooper is the James V. Forrestal Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, and is the former Chair of the Department of National Security Affairs. He previously served for nearly two decades as a career US Defense Department official including as a member of the Senior Executive Service. He has held a number of important foreign and national security policy positions including in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and at US Africa Command. He is the author of a comparative foreign policy book and various scholarly and policy articles and chapters on international relations and US foreign policy. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from The Australian National University.