David V. Gioe is an internationally recognised expert on intelligence, defence, strategy and international affairs, with more than two decades of experience spanning government service, military intelligence and academia. A former CIA operations officer and U.S. Navy intelligence leader, David is now a leading academic voice on global security and espionage. He is widely sought after as a speaker for his rare ability to translate real-world intelligence experience into clear, strategic insight for business, government and defence audiences.
David began his career serving in the United States Navy, where he held senior intelligence roles with the Defence Intelligence Agency and the Office of Naval Intelligence. He later became Chief of Human Intelligence and Counterintelligence in East Africa, overseeing operations across thirteen countries. Following his naval service, he worked as a Central Intelligence Agency operations officer, completing multiple overseas tours in the Middle East and Europe. He also served within the FBI’s National Security Division, giving him broad experience across the U.S. intelligence community.
Transitioning into academia, David built an outstanding scholarly career alongside continued policy engagement. He is a British Academy Global Professor of Intelligence and International Security in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. He has also held teaching and research roles at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the University of Cambridge, where he serves as Director of Studies for the Cambridge Security Initiative’s International Security and Intelligence programme. His research has been published in leading journals on intelligence, defence and cyber strategy, and he has co-authored and edited major works on the history of the CIA and strategic cyber competition. He is a Senior Research Associate at RAND and an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
David is hired as a speaker for his authoritative yet accessible perspective on intelligence, geopolitical risk, cyber strategy and global security trends. Drawing on 24 years of operational and analytical experience, he helps audiences understand how intelligence agencies assess threats, how strategic competition is evolving and what this means for governments, organisations and leaders. He is also the author of influential works, including 'Great Power Cyber Competition: How the West Can Compete and Win in the Information Environment', which explores the future of strategic rivalry in the digital domain. His presentations combine historical depth, contemporary relevance and first-hand insight from the world of intelligence operations.
