David McElyea

Professor David McElyea is a well-respected expert in the fields of maritime security cooperation, national security strategy, and economic security. He joined the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in October 2019 as a lecturer, bringing with him 25 years of experience in the United States Navy as a Naval Flight Officer and Foreign Area Officer.

As a Foreign Area Officer, Professor McElyea gained extensive global experience in the field of maritime security cooperation, where he has advanced maritime cooperation and integration with partners and allies. He has served as a maritime advisor to several U.S. Navy and Marine commanders, Chiefs of U.S. Missions, and foreign maritime leaders on matters of capability and capacity building, interoperability, coalition operations, maritime strategy development, information exchanges, basing, and logistics.

Born in central Illinois, Professor McElyea graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2000 with a B.S. in Economics. He went on to earn a Master’s in National Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2010. He has since been deployed to various parts of the world, including Egypt, Qatar, Spain, and Germany.

With his extensive experience in military and international relations, Professor McElyea is well-positioned to provide insightful lectures on maritime security, economic security, and U.S. national security strategy at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.