Counter-insurgency expert, scholar and author Dr David Kilcullen is Chief Operating Officer of Meta Aerospace Capital, an aviation investment firm, and Chairman of First Mile Geo, a geospatial firm providing humanitarian mapping for NGOs in Syria and Africa.

A former Australian Army officer, David has worked with the Australian and US Governments including roles as senior counter-insurgency advisor to General David Petraeus, Chief Strategist in the Counterterrorism Bureau at the US State Department and special advisor for counter-insurgency to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

His most recent book – Blood Year: Islamic State and the Unraveling of Western Counterterrorism – won the 2015 Walkley Award for long-form journalism.