A native of Norwalk, CT, Jonathan (Jake) Couch graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2005 where he commissioned as an Armor Officer. After Graduation, he attended the Armor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, KY, before serving as a tank platoon leader and company executive officer at Camp Casey South Korea.

He then served in the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) at Fort Hood, TX, where he was the Support Platoon Leader, D Company Commander, and Headquarters and Headquarters Troop Commander for 1st Squadron. He deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn while assigned to 3d ACR.

Following company level command and selection for the Army Advanced Civil Schooling Program, then CPT Couch attended the University of Maryland at College Park where he received an M.A. in Middle East History with a focus on Arab Nationalism and Ottoman History. His thesis, entitled Traders and New Ideas About the East: The British Levant Company and the Discourse on the Ottoman Empire, 1581-1774 examined cross cultural interaction between British traders in Ottoman Syria and the communities in which they worked.

Following Graduate School, then CPT Couch served as an instructor and assistant professor in the West Point Department of History from 2013 to 2016. At USMA, he taught HI108M: History of the Middle East, HI342: History of the British Isles from 1688 to the Present, and HI391: the History of World Religions. His chapter entitled “The Gamble of Democracy: The Popularity of Political Islam and what it means for Middle Eastern Women,” was published in Confronting Inequality: Wealth, Rights, and Power, published by Sloan Publishing, 2016.

After his assignment at West Point, then MAJ Couch attended the Army Command and General Staff College before serving as the executive officer (XO) and battalion operations officer (S3) in the 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, out of Fort Stewart, GA. His last assignment prior to joining the USAFA History Department was as the commander of B Troop, 3d Squadron, 4th Security Forces Assistance Brigade at Fort Carson, CO.

Master of Arts, History of the Middle East History, University of Maryland, College Park (2013)

Bachelor of Arts, International and Strategic History, United States Military Academy, West Point (2005)

Bronze Star (2 OLC)

Meritorious Service Medal (4 OLC)

Army Commendation Medal

Army Achievement Medal

Korea Defense Service Medal

Iraq Campaign Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Overseas Service Ribbon

Army Service Ribbon

Middle Eastern History

History of the British Empire

Military History