Strategic Competition Advisory
Operational expertise in strategic competition, political-economy campaigns, and multidimensional power projection
Schedule ConsultationOperational, Not Theoretical: We don't just write about strategic competition—we design and execute advise-and-assist missions for the U.S. government. Our approach has been proven in the largest counter peer competitor strategic competition operation since the Cold War.
Revolutionary Framework: While think tanks debate theory, we're revolutionizing how power is projected across political economies through proven methodologies in multidimensional warfare and political-economy campaigns.
Unique Integration: We combine deep Department of Defense relationships with emerging market merchant banking and private investment expertise—translating strategic concepts into actionable commercial advantage.
Maneuvering political economies through cooperation, competition, and conflict using capital, labor, resources, and political structures to achieve strategic objectives.
Projecting power through capital economies, targeting money, credit, equity, debt, assets, and liabilities to disrupt adversary capabilities.
Designed and advised on the largest counter peer competitor strategic competition operation since the Cold War, integrating whole-of-government approaches.
Revolutionary framework extending beyond DIME to include all exploitable advantages across spatial, nonspatial, hybrid, and complex projection means.
Senior analyst experience at USSOCOM J36, developing methodologies to counter transnational threats through financial targeting and disruption.
Supporting Office of Naval Research, SOCPAC, and INDOPACOM on economic warfare campaigns and countering adversarial state influence operations.
Published work revolutionizing strategic theory and operational practice in great power competition, financial warfare, and multidimensional power projection.
Parameters, US Army War College Quarterly, Spring 2024
Develops comprehensive strategic art for political-economy campaigns, introducing frameworks for maneuvering political economies through tactical engagements, operational design, and strategic objectives using sanctions within larger campaigns.
Parameters, US Army War College Quarterly, Summer 2017
Introduces financial warfare as a distinct capability for deterring sponsors of proxy warfare. Analyzes economic terrain mapping, financial trace analysis, and targeting methodologies for disrupting adversary political economies.
Parameters, US Army War College Quarterly, Winter 2018-19
Revolutionary framework for power projection incorporating class, source, payload, and vector across unlimited dimensions. Demonstrates application against gray-zone actors through networked and systemic approaches.
Parameters, US Army War College Quarterly, Winter 2013-14
Foundational article establishing financial warfare as distinct from economic warfare, analyzing capital formation strikes, capital liquidity strikes, and risk management strikes with historical case studies.
Pentagon J3 Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA), March 14, 2023
Presentation on strategic competition frameworks and operational approaches, introducing new strategic art concepts for maneuvering political economies through cooperation, competition, and conflict in great power competition.
Decisive Point Podcast, US Army War College Press, June 5, 2023
In-depth discussion of revolutionary framework for power projection beyond traditional DIME, exploring class, source, payload, and vector concepts across unlimited dimensions for engaging gray-zone actors and peer competitors.
Joint Special Operations University "Think JSOU" Podcast, July 14, 2023
Discussion on leveraging non-traditional actors and asymmetric approaches in strategic competition, exploring how commercial entities and volunteer networks can support whole-of-government operations against peer competitors.
Decisive Point Podcast, US Army War College Press, April 2, 2024
Exploration of comprehensive strategic framework for political-economy campaigns, discussing how to maneuver political economies through tactical engagements and operational design using sanctions as part of larger strategic campaigns.
Integrated framework covering capital/labor/resource economies and customary/civil/political/legal governance structures for campaign planning.
Methodologies for identifying nodes, edges, and vulnerabilities in adversary financial networks to enable precision targeting.
Techniques for exploiting system vulnerabilities to generate cascading failures and contagions in adversary economies.
Design and execution support for whole-of-government campaigns against near-peer competitors, integrating military, diplomatic, information, economic, and financial power.
Advanced analytics and operational design for disrupting adversary financing, including terrorist organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and state sponsors.
Campaign development targeting adversary defense industrial bases, supply chains, and resource economies through multidimensional power projection.
Strategic analysis for merchant banking and private investment in developing economies, integrating political economy assessments with commercial due diligence.
Comprehensive evaluation of political-economy risks for portfolio companies and investment targets, with actionable mitigation strategies.
Advanced analytics for private equity investments, drawing on $3B+ experience providing guidance on client equity investments and portfolio optimization.
Bilateral Expertise: Unlike pure consultancies focused on either government or commercial work, DARACOM bridges both worlds—bringing government-level strategic thinking to commercial problems and commercial efficiency to government operations.
Real-World Results: Our methodologies aren't theoretical—they've been proven in actual operations against peer competitors and in commercial transactions across emerging markets.
Network Access: Deep relationships across DoD, Treasury, Intelligence Community, and international finance enable unique insights and integration capabilities.
A 1981 West Point graduate, Infantry Officer and Green Beret Captain, Dave Katz served in Europe, the United States and Central America. Obtaining a Master's of Science in 1989 from Carnegie Mellon University, he spent 12 years as an institutional investor in private equity, culminating with founding his own registered investment advisory firm providing strategic guidance and advanced analytics on more than $3 billion of client private equity investment.
Previously, Mr. Katz was a senior analyst at US Special Operations Command, where he designed and advised on the largest counter peer competitor strategic competition operation since the Cold War. He also supported the Office of Naval Research, Special Operations Command Pacific, and US Indo-Pacific Command on economic warfare campaigns and countering adversarial state influence operations. In October 2023, he founded Daracom to provide strategic competition advisory services to government and commercial clients.