| Aaron Cohen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 February 1976 Montreal, Canada |
| Allegiance | Israel |
| Service/branch | Israel Defense Forces |
| Years of service | 1995-1998 |
| Rank | First Sergeant (סמל ראשון (סמ"ר |
| Unit | Duvdevan, Special Forces |
| Other work | author, private military contractor, security consultant, news commentator, movie technical adviser, actor |
Aaron Cohen (born 28 February 1976) is a former Israeli Special Forces operative, California-based counterterrorism consultant and managing director of IMS Security. Cohen was born in Montreal, Canada, and educated at Beverly Hills High School and Robert Land Academy in Ontario, Canada.
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After high school, Cohen left Los Angeles for Israel, working on a kibbutz before enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces. After a grueling tryout process known as a “gibush,” Cohen was one of the few non-Sabra volunteers accepted into the elite ranks of the Israeli Special Forces. In the mid-1990s, he became a member of the secretive undercover Sayaret (commando) unit known as Duvdevan, (Hebrew: דובדבן; lit. cherry) a counter-terrorist unit which runs missions targeting wanted terrorist suspects in the occupied territories of the West Bank, often while dressed as Palestinian Arabs.
After his three-year service, Cohen returned to Los Angeles and launched IMS Security Consultants, Inc., a leading Hollywood VIP protection service which has done security work for Hollywood actors, rock stars and dignitaries. IMS has also been a leading tactical training firm in offering Israeli-style counterterrorist and “active shooter” training to members of local, State and Federal law enforcement, SWAT teams and the U.S. military. As a terrorism expert, discussing matters such as the Virginia Tech gunman massacre, Cohen has appeared live on many news programs, including Larry King Live, Fox News and Court TV.
Aaron Cohen’s first book, Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in one of the World’s Most Elite Counterterrorism Units, coauthored with journalist and best-selling author Douglas Century was published by Ecco / HarperCollins in April 2008. The book now available in 6 languages.
Cohen was recently tapped by Oscar winning director Steven Soderbergh as technical advisor and tactical trainer for his upcoming Special Ops thriller Haywire (film) starring Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Mixed Martial Arts fighter Gina Carano.
Cohen was portrayed on the HBO series Entourage.[1]
He is the stepson of American filmmaker Abby Mann.