Major General (Ret.) David A. Morris is the founder and owner of Decisive Edge, LLC, a consulting company focused on the defense and intelligence communities, specializing in Special Operations, Joint, Coalition and Interagency integration as well as stability operations.
Commissioned as an Infantry officer in 1975 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Morris subsequently served in Infantry and Special Forces assignments until 1984, including tours in the war in El Salvador, duty as the operations officer for an in-extremis force, and as a Special Forces instructor.
As an Army reserve officer, Morris served with a special mission unit, the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and various other Special Operations units. In 1991, he was mobilized for Operation DESERT STORM, serving at USSOCOM. After the 9/11 attacks, Morris returned to active duty as a Colonel, for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, serving as the Deputy Commander of Special Operations Command Joint Forces Command (SOCJFCOM), and also leading a sensitive project for support to Special Operations Forces worldwide. He later deployed for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, where he commanded the Combined Joint Special Operations Task ForceArabian Peninsula.
Promoted to Brigadier General in 2005, Morris was assigned as the Deputy Commanding General of the US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) (USACAPOC (A)). In June 2007, he was returned to active duty, promoted to Major General and assumed command of USACAPOC (A). In September 2009, Major General Morris relinquished command and was assigned to US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM), still on active duty, where he served as the Deputy Director for the Joint Capability Development Directorate (J8) and later as the Director of the Joint Irregular Warfare Center, which included duties as the Department of Defense Executive Agent for Joint Urban Operations. Morris finished out his active duty stint as a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Army, retiring in January 2012 with over 36 years of active and reserve service, with multiple deployments in Latin America and the Middle East.
As a civilian, Major General Morris served in the intelligence community including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Intelligence Directorates of USSOCOM, US European Command and USJFCOM, as well as the Joint Analysis Center, RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom. He retired as a member of the Senior Intelligence Executive Service in 2008.
Major General Morris is regarded as a Subject Matter Expert in both Special Operations and Intelligence matters. From 2012-2014, he served as a Vice President at DynCorp International, focusing on Special Operations and Intelligence strategies and business development. He was the Senior National Security Advisor to James Madison University in 2012. Morris also served as an adjunct professor with the American Public University System from 2012-2014, teaching graduate courses related to Special Operations and Joint Warfare. Morris has participated in “Future of SOF” roundtable discussions and was a featured speaker at the Annual “SOF Summit,” as well as a guest lecturer at the Naval Post Graduate School. He has been a member of the Board of Advisors for LEMKO Corporation since 2012. In early 2013, he was selected for induction into the Civil Affairs Hall of Fame as an honorary member of the regiment.
Major General Morris holds an MPA degree with a triple major from Golden Gate University and is also a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College and the US Army War College. His most significant awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge with Star, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, the Republic of Colombia Lancero Badge (Ranger), and the jump wings of nine foreign nations. He also received the 2009 John H. Hilldring Award of the Civil Affairs Association.
