Laura Cooper

Laura Cooper
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Acting
In office January 20, 2021 – December 17, 2021
President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Michael Cutrone (Acting)
Succeeded by	Celeste A. Wallander
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2017
President	Donald Trump Joe Biden
Preceded by	Evelyn Farkas
Personal details
Born	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Education	Northwestern University (BA) Georgetown University (MS) National Defense University (MS)

Laura Katherine Cooper (born 1974) is an American civil servant. Ms. Cooper is the 2023 Federal Employee of the Year (Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals), awarded by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service to celebrate excellence in the U.S. federal civil service.^[1] She is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs in the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and a career member of the Senior Executive Service (SES). In 2023, she was honored with the Presidential Rank Distinguished Executive Award,^[2] the highest annual award for career SES members. She previously served as principal director in the office of the Homeland Defense and Global Security Affairs.

Cooper testified to the United States Congress's House Intelligence Committee during a closed-door hearing on October 23, 2019; this committee gathered information relevant to impeachment proceedings involving U.S. President Donald Trump.^[3] She also testified on November 20, 2019, in an open hearing to that same committee.