David Millar is a foreign policy expert who has trained over 2000 diplomats, military officers, analysts, and supporting staff in fifteen years as a professional educator.  Most recently he served as Chair of the Global Issues Program at the Foreign Service Institute, America’s main diplomatic training academy.  For six years he helped early- and mid-career Foreign Service Officers understand transnational security threats and practice the skills needed to succeed in a diplomatic career.  He received two Exceptional Performance Awards for his role in creating the State Department’s curricula in Propaganda and Disinformation and Climate Diplomacy.

David also teaches high-performing graduate students at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, DC.  He has designed various university courses including The Art and Science of Intelligence Analysis, Complex Problems in International Affairs, Chinese Foreign Policy, and Trans-Pacific Security.  He has extensive experience with adult learning theory and Instructional Design, having written full ISD documentation for three tradecraft courses and five Area Studies courses.  In 2024 he received a Department award for his “Shark Tank” proposal to create a dedicated Simulation and Gaming Division at FSI.

David received his Bachelors degree in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College (2000) and his Masters degree in International Policy from the Monterey Institute (2004), with a focus on deterrence and nuclear nonproliferation.  He speaks Japanese, Chinese, Italian, and French, and has lived and worked in more than twelve foreign countries.