On April 27, 2023, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and nonresident senior fellow with the Forward Defense practice at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Scott Cooper spoke with students in UMKC's Bridging the Gap: What happens when soldiers become civilians again? course. Cooper is also the founder of Veterans for American Ideals and co-author of the book No Fly Zones and International Security: Politics and Strategy.