# Tyrus W. Cobb

Tyrus William Cobb (April 15, 1940 – December 7, 2024) was an American lieutenant colonel and academic who specialized in national security. Cobb was a member of the U.S. National Security Council, where he served as director of European and Soviet Affairs Directorate from 1983 until 1988 and special assistant to the president for national security affairs from 1988 until 1989. After the NSC, Cobb served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations, including Business Executives for National Security, NatureBridge, AAFMAA and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada.
Cobb was born in Reno, Nevada, in 1940, attending the local high school and the local university, where he was the president of Sigma Nu. He received a master of arts degree from Indiana University and a PhD in Soviet studies from Georgetown University.
Cobb served in the United States Army for 24 years, taking part in two tours of duty in the Vietnam War, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. During his time at the army, he also worked as a professor, at the United States Military Academy.
After retirement, Cobb was appointed a civilian aide to the United States Secretary of the Army. In 2017, he received the award Distinguished Nevadan from the University of Nevada, Reno.
He was the father of Ty Cobb, a Republican politician who served in the Nevada Assembly from 2006 until 2010.

## Early life and education

Tyrus William Cobb was born in Reno, Nevada, on April 15, 1940. He was a fourth generation Nevadan. His father, Tyrus Richard, was a news anchor and he had two siblings. Cobb graduated from Reno High School in 1958.
Cobb attended the University of Nevada, Reno, graduating with a bachelor's degree. At Nevada, he was the president of Sigma Nu. Cobb completed postgraduate studies at Indiana University, earning a Master of Arts degree. He later attended Georgetown University for doctoral studies, earning a PhD in Soviet studies.

## Career
### Early career

Prior to his involvement with the NSC, Cobb was a lieutenant colonel in the army and a professor at the United States Military Academy. He served in the army from 1963 until his retirement in 1987. During his service in the army, Cobb served in two tours of duty in the Vietnam War, being awarded a Purple Heart.

### National Security Council career

Cobb consulted with the U.S. National Security Council during the Carter and Reagan administrations on international energy issues. He was later asked to join the council as a member of the European and Soviet Affairs Directorate, succeeding Dennis C. Blair. At the directorate, Cobb advised on European affairs, Canada and Soviet policy. On July 15, 1988, he replaced Robert D. Blackwill as special assistant to the president and senior director of the International Programs and Technology Affairs Directorate. As special assistant, Cobb was responsible for science and technology agreements, export policy, United Nations affairs, and the environment. He was succeeded by David Charles Miller Jr. on March 13, 1989.

### Later career

After leaving the NSC, Cobb was the president and CEO of Business Executives for National Security from 1991 until 1995, before leaving the position to serve as president and CEO of NatureBridge, a position he held until 2002.
Cobb retired to Reno in 2002, where he founded the National Security Forum, a non-profit organization that focuses on debate on national and international security issues. He was a member of the AAFMAA board of directors. Cobb was a member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada Advisory Committee. He retired from the NSF in 2018.
Cobb was appointed a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army in Nevada in 2005. He received the award Distinguished Nevadan from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2017.
Cobb's papers are in the collections of the University of Nevada, Reno, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Library of Congress.

## Personal life, death and legacy

Cobb married Suellen Small in 1965 and they had three children, along with five grandchildren. His son, Ty, served in the Nevada Assembly from 2006 until 2010.
Cobb had fluency in Russian and Italian.
Cobb died from heart failure in Reno, on December 7, 2024, at the age of 84.
In December 2019, the National Security Forum created the Ty Cobb UNR Scholarship in his honor, which is awarded annually.