Seth Cropsey (born November 3, 1958) is an American political figure, former U.S. Department of Defense official, and author specializing in maritime strategy and national security. He is the president and founder of the Yorktown Institute, a think tank focused on great power competition and U.S. naval supremacy.
Early Life and Education
Cropsey is the son of Joseph Cropsey, a University of Chicago professor and student of the political philosopher Leo Strauss. He graduated from Harvard–St. George School in Chicago and St. John's College, earned an M.A. from Boston College, and received his doctorate from the University of Babeș-Bolyai in Romania.
Career
Cropsey began his career as a reporter for Fortune magazine (1977–1980). In 1981, he served as speechwriter and assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. From 1982 to 1984, he was Director of Policy at the Voice of America. He served as Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy during the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, and in 1989 served briefly as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. He also served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy from 1985 to 2004.
Later in his career, Cropsey was director of The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center (1994–1998), a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (1999–2001), and director of the International Broadcasting Bureau under President George W. Bush (2002). He has been a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and director of its Center for American Seapower.
Writings and Views
Cropsey is the author of three books:
- Mayday: The Decline of American Naval Supremacy (2014)
- Seablindness: How Political Neglect Is Choking American Seapower and What to Do About It (2017)
- Breaking the New Axis: A U.S. Grand Strategy for Eurasia (2026)
His writing has appeared in Commentary, Foreign Affairs, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, The National Interest, and Policy Review, among others.
Cropsey is a strong advocate for expanding and modernizing the U.S. Navy, viewing naval power as essential to global stability and American security. He has been critical of China's military modernization and its assertiveness in the South China Sea, and supports robust U.S. alliances including NATO. He has opposed policies that signal American retrenchment from global affairs.
