Cofer Black
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J. Cofer Black was the United States Department of State Coordinator for Counterterrorism with the rank of Ambassador at Large from December 2002 to November 2004. The point man for the U.S. government's international counterterrorism policy in the first term of the Bush administration, he resigned shortly after George W. Bush was elected to a second presidential term. Since February 2005, Black has been Vice Chairman of Blackwater USA, a US-based private security firm.
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[edit] Early life and education
Black was born in 1950, in Stamford, Connecticut. His father was an airline pilot for Pan American Airways, where he flew Boeing 747s on international routes. Black's father would bring him along to Accra, Ghana or Lagos, Nigeria during school breaks for Cofer to explore the African countryside. Black attended an all-boys preparatory school at the Canterbury School (Connecticut).
In 1973, Black completed his BA at the University of Southern California (USC). The next year he earned a Master's degree in international relations, also at USC. Later that year he left the doctoral program to join the CIA. He trained for the clandestine service and volunteered for Africa due to his childhood experiences there. Initially, he worked as a case officer in Lusaka, Zambia during the Rhodesian War.
[edit] Career
Black had a distinguished 28-year career in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency. During his CIA career, Ambassador Black served six foreign tours in field management positions, culminating in his appointment as Director of the CIA Counterterrorist Center (CTC). In this capacity, he served as the CIA Director's Special Assistant for Counterterrorism as well as the National Intelligence Officer for Counterterrorism.
In 1993, Black transferred from London, England to Khartoum, Sudan, where he served as CIA Station Chief until 1995. This was at a low point in U.S.-Sudanese relations, particularly over the latter country's sponsorship of terror and the harboring of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. Black oversaw the collection of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) on terrorist cells and support structures, and toward the end of his tenure, he was apparently targeted by Al Qaeda for assassination.[citation needed] Black was also responsible for the collection of intelligence that led directly to the 1994 capture of the terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal.[citation needed]
In 1995, Black was named the Task Force Chief in the Near East and South Asia Division. From June 1998 through June 1999, he served as the Deputy Chief of the Latin America Division. At the time of the attacks of September 11, Black was serving as the Chief of the Counter Terrorism Center (C/CTC) at the CIA. Mr. Black moved to the US Dept. of State in late 2002 from his position as C/CTC at the CIA.
In addition to numerous exceptional performance awards and meritorious citations, Black received the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the George H. Bush Medal for Excellence, and the Exceptional Collector Award for 1994.
Black is currently Vice Chairman of Blackwater USA, a US-based private security firm.
[edit] See also
Bin Laden Issue Station - the CIA's bin Laden tracking unit, 1996-2005
[edit] References
- Steve Coll (2004). Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. Penguin Press. ISBN 1-59420-007-6.
- ^ Dana Priest, Wrongful Imprisonment: Anatomy of a CIA Mistake: German Citizen Released After Months in 'Rendition', Washington Post, December 4, 2005
- ^ Gary Schroen (2006). First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan. Presido Press. ISBN 089141875X.
- ^ Gary Berntsen (2005). Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander. Crown Publishers. ISBN 0307237400.
