Aaron C. Davenport is a senior policy researcher at RAND. Davenport retired as a senior officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. His final assignment was Chief of Cutter Forces for a fleet of 250 ships and 8,500 sea going personnel. He also served as founding Deputy Chief, USCG Office of Counter-Terrorism and Special Missions and Executive Officer, Counterdrug Operations, US Southern Command. Davenport’s sea duty includes six ships and command of two large cutters, enforcing international treaties, international immigration and trafficking laws, and performing institutional security governance and capacity building assistance, humanitarian assistance and joint maritime operations throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and Bering Sea. He was also detailed to the White House Staff as Special Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism serving two administrations (Obama/Bush).
Davenport completed senior executive fellowships at the RAND's National Defense Research Institute and the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group. He participated as an expert panel member and paper presenter at the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, Advanced Research Workshop on Counterterrorism and was a security strategy advisor to the U.S. Institute of Security Governance and Bahamas Ministry of National Security. Earlier research and analysis include assessing border security in Northern Africa, the Caucasus, counterdrug programs in Colombia, and assessments of DHS program strategy, operations, policy and metrics. Davenport has participated in several congressionally mandated studies, written for several publications within the national and homeland security arena and is regarded as an expert on maritime and border security. Davenport has also contributed as a maritime security and strategy expert panelist and contributor to multiple international and national symposiums and conferences. Davenport was awarded the 2023 Gold Medal Award, RAND's highest honor for excellence in research, impact and inspiring contribution to RAND's mission. He was also awarded RAND research Key Contributor Medals in 2019, 2017, and 2016. In Nov 2023, Davenport provided maritime expert testimony to the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
M.S. in environmental sciences, occupational health, industrial hygiene, minor - hazardous materials, University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health
