Dave Cooper on international trade

About Dave Cooper

During a May 2026 House Armed Services Committee hearing, Representative John Garamendi questioned CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper about the Iran War and military posture. Garamendi told Cooper, "You have a real difficult time answering questions directly, don't you?" Cooper stated that the U.S. is "executing a blockade" and that U.S. forces disabled Iranian tankers "consistent with the blockade." He said that U.S. forces were fired upon "dozens of times" and that they "defended ourselves." When asked if hostilities had ceased since April, Cooper said, "We remain in a ceasefire," and later added, "My military assessment is the ceasefire has set the foundation for military hostilities to cease. Iran pushes it." Cooper also said the military is "still able to continue its execution of military objectives and military activities" in Africa without USAID support. In a 2008 podcast interview, Dave Cooper, described as a former construction business owner and military service member, discussed leadership and technology in the construction industry. He said, "If the business can't run for 30 days without you, you don't own a company, you own a job," and argued that a "lack of processes" stifles growth. Cooper advocated for using AI in estimating, stating, "If it would normally take me 10 hours to do an estimate and I could cut that down to six hours, why wouldn't I do that?" He also commented on housing affordability, saying, "We wouldn't have so many people sleeping on the streets if what we were doing was working."

Profile compiled from Dave Cooper's verified public interviews and appearances. See all quotes & transcripts →