The Atlantic Council’s Counterterrorism Study Group is a bipartisan network of former US government professionals with experience in counterterrorism policymaking and operations. Participants include former senior officials who have served in both Democratic and Republican administrations on the National Security Council staff; at the departments of State, Defense, Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security; as agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal law enforcement agencies; and at the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Counterterrorism Center, and other elements of the US intelligence community. The Counterterrorism Study Group hosts meetings under the Chatham House Rule with current executive branch counterterrorism professionals; with members of Congress and key Congressional staff with responsibilities for counterterrorism laws, policies and resources; and with foreign counterterrorism partners. Many participants regularly offer public commentary on counterterrorism subjects, but their individual views should not be understood to reflect the views of other participants of the Counterterrorism Study Group.
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| Participants | |
| Javed Ali Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism National Security Council | Mark Mitchell Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism US Department of Defense |
| Graham Brookie Former Advisor to the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (Homeland Security Advisor) National Security Council | Michael (Mick) Mulroy Former CIA Officer; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East US Department of Defense |
| Matt Castelli Former CIA Officer; former Director for Counterterrorism National Security Council | Mike Nagata Former Director, Directorate of Strategic Operational Planning National Counterterrorism Center |
| David Cohen Former Deputy Director for Operations, Central Intelligence Agency; former Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence, New York City Police Department | Michael R. Ortiz Former Deputy Coordinator for Countering Violent Extremism Department of State |
| Chris Costa Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism National Security Council | Barry Pavel Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict US Department of Defense |
| Kirsten Fontenrose Former Senior Director for Gulf Affairs National Security Council | Pamela Quanrud Former Director, Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS US Department of State |
| Danny Glaser Former Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes US Department of the Treasury | Nick Rasmussen Former Director National Counterterrorism Center |
| Robert Grenier Former Director of the Counterterrorism Center Central Intelligence Agency | Norman Roule Former National Intelligence Manager for Iran Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) |
| Christopher K. Harnisch Former Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism US State Department | Nathan A. Sales Former Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS US Department of State |
| Luke Hartig Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism National Security Council | Francis X. Taylor Former Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, US Department of Homeland Security; former Coordinator for Counterterrorism, US Department of State |
| Bernard Hudson Former Chief of Counterterrorism Central Intelligence Agency | Russ Travers Former Deputy Homeland Security Adviser National Security Council |
| Tina Kaidanow Former Coordinator for Counterterrorism US Department of State | Thomas S. Warrick Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Policy Department of Homeland Security |
| Matthew Levitt Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Intelligence and Analysis US Department of the Treasury | William F. Wechsler Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combatting Terrorism US Department of Defense |
| Mike LeFever Former Director, Strategic Operational Planning National Counterterrorism Center | Owen West Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict US Department of Defense |
| Mary McCord Former Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security US Department of Justice | Lee Wolosky Former Special Counsel to the President White House Counsel’s Office |
| Michael McGarrity Former Assistant Director of Counterterrorism Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| Former Counterterrorism Study Group members who have returned to government service |
| Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer US Department of State |
| Josh Geltzer Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy Homeland Security Advisor National Security Council |
| Christopher Maier Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations / Low-Intensity US Department of Defense |
| Matt Olsen Assistant Attorney General for National Security US Department of Justice |
| Anne Witkowsky Former Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism US Department of State |
| Previous speakers – 2020 |
| Christopher C. Miller Former Director National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) |
| Ambassador Nathan Sales Former Ambassador-at-Large and former Coordinator for Counterterrorism, and Acting Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights US Department of State |
| Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani Special Envoy for Counterterrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution Foreign Minister of the State of Qatar |
| Dr. Julia Nesheiwat Former Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security & Resilience National Security Council |
| Previous speakers – 2021 |
| Mr. Laurent Nuñez National Coordinator of Intelligence and Combat against Terrorism Presidency of the French Republic |
| Mr. Tom Hurd Former Director General Office for Security and Counterterrorism of the United Kingdom |
| Dr. Hamdullah Mohib Former National Security Advisor Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
| Christopher Maier Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations / Low-Intensity Conflict US Department of Defense |
| Josh Geltzer Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy Homeland Security Advisor National Security Council |
| John T. Godfrey Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Acting Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS US Department of State |
| Ambassador Roger D. Carstens, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs US Department of State |
| Christine “Christy” Abizaid Director National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) |
| Previous speakers – 2022 |
| John D. Cohen Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Intelligence and Analysis US Department of Homeland Security |
| Lt. General Tariq Al Hassan Chief of Public Security, Ministry of Interior Kingdom of Bahrain |
| Rear Admiral Milton James Sands III Commander, Special Operations Command Africa US Special Operations Command |
| Defense Analysts The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence The Kingdom of Norway |
| Kevin Strompf Acting Senior Director for Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime National Security Council |
| Congressman Michael Waltz Florida’s 6th Congressional District US House of Representatives |
| Ambassador Roger Noble Ambassador for Counterterrorism, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia |
*Not all speakers hosted by the group are listed above.
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