David Howell Petraeus (born November 7, 1952, in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York) is a retired United States Army four-star general and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree and earned a Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton University in 1987. Over a 37-year military career, Petraeus held key commands in airborne, mechanized, and air assault infantry units across Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, including service with the 509th Airborne Battalion in Italy after completing Ranger School as a Distinguished Honor Graduate. His career emphasized light infantry tactics and intellectual approaches to warfare, culminating in authorship of the U.S. Army's counterinsurgency field manual.

Petraeus rose to national prominence as commanding general of Multi-National Force – Iraq from February 2007 to September 2008, where he oversaw the 2007–2008 "surge" of U.S. troops and implemented strategies that significantly reduced violence in Iraq. He commanded U.S. Central Command from October 2008 to June 2010 and then led the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan from July 2010 to July 2011. Appointed Director of the CIA in September 2011, he resigned in November 2012 following revelations of an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell; he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information in 2015. Since leaving government service he has worked in academia, consulting, and private equity, including as a partner at KKR & Co. Inc., and has remained a commentator on national security and foreign policy.