Cofer Black

Joseph Cofer Black
Joseph Cofer Black
Born	1950; Ridgefield, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation(s)	CIA officer, counterterrorism official
Years active	1975–present
Known for	Director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center (1999–2002); U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism (2002–2004)

Joseph Cofer Black (born 1950) is a former officer of the American CIA who led the Counterterrorism Center during the period surrounding the September 11 attacks. He subsequently held the positions of Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the United States Department of State under President George W. Bush, stepping down in 2004. Prior to his counterterrorism focus, Black occupied multiple roles across the globe within the CIA’s Directorate of Operations.

Early life

Hailing from Ridgefield, Connecticut, Black completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 followed by a master’s in international relations in 1974, both awarded by the University of Southern California. He initiated doctoral studies but departed in 1975 to commence his career with the CIA.

CIA career up to 1999

Black underwent training for covert operations within the CIA and opted to specialize in assignments related to Africa, drawing on his early exposure to the continent. His service included a case officer role based in Lusaka, Zambia during the Rhodesian Bush War. He was also deployed in conflict areas such as Somalia and South Africa amid apartheid-era tensions. While stationed in Kinshasa, Zaire, he engaged in secret operations supporting anti-communist insurgents in neighboring Angola.

Between 1993 and 1995, Black acted as CIA station chief in Khartoum, Sudan, a period marked by challenging U.S.-Sudanese relations due to Sudan’s involvement with terrorism sponsors and sheltering notorious figures like Carlos the Jackal and Osama bin Laden. He oversaw human intelligence gathering on terrorist organizations and played a role in intelligence efforts that culminated in Carlos the Jackal’s capture in 1994. Toward the conclusion of this posting, Al Qaeda placed Black on an assassination list.

In 1995, Black assumed leadership as Task Force Chief for the Near East and South Asia Division. From June 1998 until June 1999, he served as Deputy Chief of the Latin America Division.

Director of CTC (1999–2002)

In June 1999, George Tenet, then Director of Central Intelligence, appointed Cofer Black as head of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center (CTC). In addition to directing the CTC, Black held roles as Special Assistant for Counterterrorism to the CIA Director and National Intelligence Officer for Counterterrorism. His elevation formed a key component of Tenet’s strategic campaign against Al Qaeda, with Black spearheading operational efforts. Tenet also assigned an aide known as "Richard" to lead the CTC’s unit tracking bin Laden. Black maintained his position as CTC director throughout the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Al-Qaeda strategy, 1999–2001

Following Tenet’s late 1998 declaration of war on Osama bin Laden, an extensive review of CIA countermeasures was ordered early in 1999. By mid-1999, the CTC formulated a new operational approach—referred to internally as "the Plan"—which sought to infiltrate bin Laden’s Afghan sanctuaries by establishing covert bases encircling Afghanistan. These bases were intended to facilitate recruitment and paramilitary groups capable of blending with local populations.

Concurrently, toward the end of 1999, individuals who would later become key hijackers on September 11—Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, Ziad Jarrah, and Nawaf al-Hazmi—were selected for what became known as the "planes operation" while in Afghanistan. The CIA monitored al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar attending an Al Qaeda meeting in Kuala Lumpur early in 2000 where critical attack planning occurred.

An internal CIA document criticized Black for not notifying the FBI that al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar had entered U.S. territory; however, this claim was later scrutinized by the 9/11 Commission, which found no evidence that FBI had access to such information despite Black’s congressional statements.

From 1999 onward, counterterrorism resources and intelligence collection targeting bin Laden were significantly expanded by the CIA. By September 11, surveillance networks and collection programs extensively covered Afghanistan. During summer 2001, Tenet, Black, and "Rich B" actively alerted the Bush administration regarding imminent threats from Al Qaeda. At a July 10 meeting with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, "Rich" forecasted a "spectacular" strike on U.S. interests; subsequent briefings emphasized potential attacks on domestic soil.

Starting autumn 2000 under the "Afghan Eyes" initiative, Predator drones were deployed to monitor bin Laden’s Afghan base. Black was a strong proponent of equipping these drones with Hellfire missiles to enable precision strikes against Al Qaeda leadership. Despite legal challenges and technical hurdles delaying weaponization, Black urged Tenet to raise this matter at a Cabinet Principals Committee session on September 4, 2001. Following this meeting, authorization was granted for armed Predator deployment.

September 11, 2001

Following the assaults on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon, certain personnel at the CTC chose not to evacuate the CIA headquarters in Langley. This included the team operating the Global Response Center located on the exposed sixth floor, which Black maintained held "a crucial role in a crisis of this nature." Despite the inherent dangers, CIA Director Tenet approved Black's decision.

The CTC secured passenger manifests from the hijacked aircraft, confirming that Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi were aboard—offering "definitive evidence" of an Al Qaeda conspiracy. These individuals had been identified by the CTC as early as 1999–2000.

Although Black declared that "after 9/11 the gloves come off," he exercised caution regarding legal authorizations, likening ambiguous presidential directives to King Henry II's indirect remark: "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?".

Post 9/11: Global War on Terror

On September 13, 2001, Black provided President George W. Bush with a briefing in the White House Situation Room, detailing a CIA-led initiative in Afghanistan. This plan involved CIA operatives and Green Berets collaborating with the Northern Alliance to overthrow the Taliban regime and eliminate Al Qaeda presence. Black reassured Bush that CIA preparations had positioned them for swift action. Tenet later reflected that having a strategic framework allowed them to promptly advise the President on worldwide operations.

A "war council" chaired by Bush convened at Camp David on September 15, attended by Black. Tenet suggested deploying CIA teams into Afghanistan to conduct intelligence gathering and covert missions alongside military Special Operations forces—a strategy Bush later described as "a turning point."

Black and Armitage journeyed to Moscow to secure Russian cooperation. Russia consented not to hinder CIA efforts and contributed intelligence support, particularly regarding Afghanistan’s geography and cave networks.

The CIA assumed primary responsibility for targeting Al Qaeda and the Taliban. On September 26, 2001, the Northern Afghanistan Liaison Team, led by Gary Schroen, entered Afghanistan. The CTC established a new division—CTC Special Operations (CTC/SO)—under Hank Crumpton, charged with locating and dismantling Al Qaeda elements.

In testimony before Congress in 2002, Black chose to speak openly rather than anonymously, addressing the American people directly.

Throughout the "war on terror," Black was instrumental in managing contentious CIA initiatives such as rendition, interrogation, and detention of al-Qaeda detainees in clandestine facilities outside U.S. borders. These operations were overseen by a select faction within CTC. Abu Zubaydah was apprehended in March 2002 and subsequently transferred to a covert CIA site in Thailand where he underwent waterboarding soon after.

Coordinator for Counter-terrorism (2002–2004)

In late 2002, Black was appointed as the US Department of State's Ambassador-at-Large for counter-terrorism, a role he held until November 2004.

Blackwater

Between 2005 and 2008, Black held the position of Vice Chairman at Blackwater USA (which later became Blackwater Worldwide, Xe, and Academi), recognized as the largest private security contractor for the State Department.

In March 2006, allegations surfaced that Black had indicated at a conference in Amman, Jordan, that Blackwater was ready to deploy security forces up to brigade size for humanitarian missions and low-intensity conflicts. Both Black and the company rejected these assertions. Critics expressed unease over the privatization of political decisions through such contractors.

Black stepped down in 2008 reportedly after uncovering illicit payments made to Iraqi officials.

Blackbird Technologies and Total Intelligence Solutions

From 2009 until 2014, Black served as Vice President of Global Operations at Blackbird Technologies, a technology contractor supporting intelligence, defense, and corporate sectors prior to its acquisition by Raytheon in 2014. Subsequently, he assumed the role of chairman at Total Intelligence Solutions (Total Intel), a private intelligence company established in 2007 by the Prince Group—the parent organization of Blackwater—through the consolidation of The Black Group LLC (under Black’s leadership), Terrorism Research Center, Inc., and Technical Defense. By 2021, Total Intel was integrated into OODA group, a consultancy specializing in business intelligence and crisis management, where Black continues to be listed as a consultant.

Mitt Romney Presidential Campaigns

On April 26, 2007, Black was designated by Mitt Romney to direct a counter-terrorism policy advisory panel during Romney's 2008 presidential bid.

Later, in October 2011, Black was appointed as "Special Adviser" on foreign policy for Romney's 2012 presidential run.

Burisma

In February 2017, Ukrainian energy firm Burisma appointed Black to its board of directors with responsibilities for security oversight and strategic growth.

Amid the Hunter Biden email controversy, a Wall Street Journal article connected Black’s position at Burisma with efforts by Washington-based operatives aimed at influencing Ukrainian prosecutors to discontinue criminal investigations against the company.

During the 2020 U.S. presidential election cycle, the Trump campaign disseminated a conservative narrative alleging links between Black’s association with Burisma and his involvement in Romney’s campaigns. This piece attempted to associate Romney with the Hunter Biden scandal and questioned his vote to convict Trump in the initial impeachment trial. Representatives close to Romney dismissed these assertions.

Mueller Investigation

Black is mentioned in volume five of the 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report concerning Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, following the inquiry led by special counsel Robert Mueller. Joel Zamel, an executive at Psy-Group, an Israeli private intelligence firm known for honey trap operations and perception manipulation strategies, testified that beyond pitching services to the Trump campaign, Psy-Group proposed projects for three additional clients: Russian oligarchs Oleg Deripaska and Dmitri Rybolovlev, as well as Blackwater founder Erik Prince, whom Black introduced to Zamel in 2016.

Additional Positions

In January 2016, Black joined Maryland-based biotechnology company Northwest Biotherapeutics (NWBO) as an independent director. The firm is publicly traded and focused on developing cancer immunotherapies.

Awards

Ambassador Black has been honored with a variety of prestigious distinctions, including the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, which represents the CIA's most esteemed accolade. His recognitions also encompass the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism, the Donovan Award, as well as the Exceptional Collector Award.

External links

Cofer Black profile at The Center for Torture Accountability (archived)
Appearances on C-SPAN