Combating Terrorism Center at West Point http://www.ctc.usma.edu An independent, privately funded research and education institute. Tue, 15 May 2012 13:51:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 combatingterrorismcenterhttp://feedburner.google.com 2012 Cadet Trip to Washington http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/2012-cadet-trip-to-washington http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/2012-cadet-trip-to-washington#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 13:51:45 +0000 Gabriel Koehler-Derrick http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=10102 The Combating Terrorism Center brought 16 cadets to Washington, DC for meetings with policymaker on 9 and 10 April 2012, in a continuing effort to offer an interagency look at counterterrorism. The cadets were led by staff Dr. Scott Helfstein, Gabriel Koehler-Derrick and Irina Garrido de Stanton.

9 April began with a series of meetings at the National Security Staff (NSS) with John Brennan (Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism), Nick Rasmussen (NSS Senior Director for Counterterrorism), and LTG(R) Douglas Lute (NSS Director for Afghanistan). They discussed the role that the NSS plays in their respective areas, and blended that with substantive insights about continuing challenges. The cadets next went to the Department of State (DoS) where they met with Jake Sullivan (Director of Policy Planning), Anne Witkowsky (Deputy Coordinator (DAS) for Multilateral Affairs and Homeland Security), and Mark Thompson (Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism Operations) who focused on contextualizing counterterrorism relative to concurrent issues in global politics on the DoS agenda. The final meeting of the day was at the Department of Treasury, where the cadets met with Luke Bronin (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing).

10 April was equally instructive, with the day beginning at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The cadets first met with Josh Poole (Director of Counterterrorism Branch) who offered a brief on the evolving terrorist threat in the United States, which was followed by a meeting with FBI Deputy Director Shawn Joyce. Joyce offered insights into leadership in the national security domain. The trip concluded with a visit to the Pentagon where the cadets met with HON Michael Sheehan (Assistant Secretary – SOLIC) and COL Mike Mitchell (former 10th Group Commander) who discussed how policy impacts tactical level decisions in counterterrorism. The concluding discussion of the trip was hosted by Peter Verga (Chief of Staff to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy) focused on future security challenges.

A special thank you to all of our hosts in Washington D.C. for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with the cadets.

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/2012-cadet-trip-to-washington/feed 0 Wall Street Journal Cites the CTC Sentinel http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/wall-street-journal-cites-the-ctc-sentinel http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/wall-street-journal-cites-the-ctc-sentinel#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 00:24:36 +0000 Erich Marquardt http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=10099 In an opinion article titled “Al Qaeda’s Most Dangerous Franchise,” Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens and Peter R. Neumann cite Ryan Evans’ analysis from the October 2010 issue of the CTC Sentinel.

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/wall-street-journal-cites-the-ctc-sentinel/feed 0 CTC Speaks at Department of State Security Conference http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ctc-speaks-at-department-of-state-security-conference http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ctc-speaks-at-department-of-state-security-conference#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 21:33:21 +0000 Gabriel Koehler-Derrick http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=9647 Dr. Scott Helfstein will participate in the Department of State’s Annual International Security Conference in New York City on May 2, 2012, presenting a talk titled “Radicalization and Ruins: The Evolving Response to al-Qa’ida’s Recruiting Ambitions.” The event will draw international participants from over fifty partner governments and focuses on different aspects of countering transnational threats.

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ctc-speaks-at-department-of-state-security-conference/feed 0 CTC to Release Documents from UBL Compound and Issue Analytical Report on Thursday May 3rd http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ctc-to-release-documents-from-ubl-compound-and-issue-analytical-report-later-this-week http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ctc-to-release-documents-from-ubl-compound-and-issue-analytical-report-later-this-week#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:10:49 +0000 Gabriel Koehler-Derrick http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=9630 Abbottabad where Usama bin Ladin was killed la... ]]> As announced today by John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, later this week the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point will release a number of documents from the compound in Abbottabad where Usama bin Ladin was killed last year.  In addition to English translations of the documents and the original versions in Arabic, which will be posted online on Thursday, May 3rd at 9:00 AM EST, the CTC will issue a short report contextualizing the documents and providing an overview of their most salient themes.

To receive the report directly please click here to join our mailing list.  Or you can follow us on twitter @CTCWP to receive notifications and any forthcoming details regarding the report.

V/R,

The Combating Terrorism Center

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ctc-to-release-documents-from-ubl-compound-and-issue-analytical-report-later-this-week/feed 0 LTG Perkins Visits CTC http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ltg-perkins-visits-ctc http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ltg-perkins-visits-ctc#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:40:52 +0000 Gabriel Koehler-Derrick http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=9578 LTG David G. Perkins, Commanding General, United States Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, visited the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, on 3 April 2012. LTG Perkins received the center’s briefing and spoke with COL Michael Meese, Head of the Department of Social Sciences and with CTC staff and faculty.

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/ltg-perkins-visits-ctc/feed 0 Governor Kean Presents Lecture to Cadets http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/governor-kean-presents-lecture-to-cadets http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/governor-kean-presents-lecture-to-cadets#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:43:27 +0000 Gabriel Koehler-Derrick http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=9582 Governor Thomas H. Kean, former Governor of New Jersey, came to the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, on 2 April 2012, to speak to cadets in SS464: Homeland Security and Defense about his experience as the Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission). 35 cadets attended the lecture. Gov. Kean discussed how he was selected to fill his post, his approach to leading a bipartisan committee of such importance and high visibility, and his assessment of both the most rewarding and challenging aspects of this monumental effort. Cadets were highly engaged and asked numerous questions relating to leadership, bipartisanship, and lessons learned about our actions before, during, and after the events of 9/11. | Governor Kean received the center’s briefing and participated in a round table with CTC personnel and faculty.

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/governor-kean-presents-lecture-to-cadets/feed 0 2nd Annual CTC Student Conference Held http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/2nd-annual-ctc-student-conference-held http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/2nd-annual-ctc-student-conference-held#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:48:22 +0000 Gabriel Koehler-Derrick http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=9585 The Combating Terrorism Center Second Cadet/Student Conference on Terrorism, Insurgency and Asymmetric Conflicts, was held at West Point, NY on 26-27 March 2012. It included five cadets (four cadets from West Point and one cadet from the Citadel) and six external students, aimed to provide a high-level forum for undergraduate and graduate students to present research focusing on the characteristics, causes and implications of terrorism and insurgency, as well as on broader issues related to asymmetric conflicts.
The participants were divided into three panels – focusing on counter-terrorism in the Middle Eastern context, the relations between states and terrorist groups and counter terrorism in the American and global context – and presented their works to an audience of cadets, CTC and West Point faculty and prominent experts in the field such as Prof. Ami Pedahzur (University of Texas at Austin) and Prof. Christopher Hewitt (Georgetown University). The conference proved to be an effective tool in helping the cadets elevate their scholarship, as well as expand and promote their understanding of and familiarity with current events in the context of modern terrorism.

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/2nd-annual-ctc-student-conference-held/feed 0 ABC News Cites the CTC Sentinel http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/abc-news-cites-the-ctc-sentinel http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/abc-news-cites-the-ctc-sentinel#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:47:40 +0000 Erich Marquardt http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=9436 In an article titled “Al Qaeda Flags Parade in Gadhafi Hometown?” ABC News cites Andrew Lebovich’s and Aaron Y. Zelin’s analysis from the March 2012 issue of the CTC Sentinel.

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/abc-news-cites-the-ctc-sentinel/feed 0 Georgetown Journal of International Affairs Interviews LTC Collins http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/georgetown-journal-of-international-affairs-interviews-ltc-collins http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/georgetown-journal-of-international-affairs-interviews-ltc-collins#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:48:16 +0000 Gabriel Koehler-Derrick http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=9432 LTC Liam Collins was interviewed last week by Eirene Busa of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs in article entitled “Shining a Light on Terrorism.” To read the interview click here.

]]> http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/georgetown-journal-of-international-affairs-interviews-ltc-collins/feed 0 CNN Cites the CTC Sentinel http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/cnn-cites-the-ctc-sentinel-4 http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/cnn-cites-the-ctc-sentinel-4#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:21:29 +0000 Erich Marquardt http://www.ctc.usma.edu/?p=9426 In an article titled “France Asks: Were Warnings Missed on Toulouse Killer?” CNN cites Fernando Reinares’ analysis from the March 2012 issue of the CTC Sentinel.

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