David Eliot McGiffert (June 27, 1926 – October 12, 2005) was a United States lawyer and Pentagon official who dealt with domestic security during the social upheavals of the late 1960s.

On October 21, 1967, some 35,000 anti-war protesters organized by the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, gathered for a demonstration at the Defense Department (the "March on the Pentagon"), where they were confronted by some 2,500 armed soldiers.

Abbie Hoffman declared the group's intention of levitating the Pentagon 300 feet (90 m) by means of meditation, wobbling it once in mid-air in order to exorcise evil spirits.

In the wake of these protests McGiffert took the lead in organizing the Directorate for Civil Disturbance Planning and Operation, a "domestic war room" at the Pentagon.

At Secretary McNamara's direction, McGiffert then headed a civil disturbance steering committee to examine the domestic use of the United States Armed Forces.

On February 25, 1977, President Carter nominated McGiffert as United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.