Noel Koch was born on March 29, 1939, and educated at Bryn Mawr College. He served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1963, including time in Vietnam as a member of Special Forces, for which he later became associated with the Special Forces Club in London. Koch worked as a speechwriter in the Nixon White House and later as a successful corporate executive before entering high-level government service. During the Reagan administration, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and as Ledeen's Pentagon supervisor from 1983 to 1985; he later wrote an explosive letter to Congress accusing Ledeen of being an Israeli agent of influence. In addition to his Reagan-era Pentagon roles, Koch served as a Special Assistant in the White House and appeared before Congress in 1987. Under the Obama administration, he held the position of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy for 11 months. His career also included work as a Washington, D.C., speechwriter and multiple Pentagon appointments across administrations. Koch received the Medal for Distinguished Public Service from the Department of Defense and an Achievement Award from the Association of the United States Army. Post-government, he became an experienced public servant, entrepreneur, and independent board member, maintaining an active profile as a speaker and providing testimony. He is based in Ocean City.