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.
| Participants | |
| Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley Former Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism US Department of State | Mark Mitchell Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism US Department of Defense |
| Javed Ali Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism National Security Council | Michael (Mick) Mulroy Former CIA Officer; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East US Department of Defense |
| Chris Costa Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism National Security Council | Mike Nagata Former Director, Directorate of Strategic Operational Planning National Counterterrorism Center |
| Kirsten Fontenrose Former Senior Director for Gulf Affairs National Security Council | Matt Olsen Former Director National Counterterrorism Center |
| Joshua Geltzer Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism 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 |
| Luke Hartig Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism National Security Council | Russ Travers Former Acting Director National Counterterrorism Center |
| Bernard Hudson Former Chief of Counterterrorism Central Intelligence Agency | Thomas S. Warrick Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Policy Department of Homeland Security |
| Tina Kaidanow Former Coordinator for Counterterrorism US Department of State | 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 |
| Michael McGarrity Former Assistant Director of Counterterrorism Federal Bureau of Investigation | Anne Witkowsky Former Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism US Department of State |
Related content
Fri, May 1, 2020
Have COVID-19 and Iran tensions doomed Coalition anti-ISIS strategy?
After five years of a successful campaign against ISIS, the Coalition may be permanently crippled by tensions with Iran. Furthermore, the pandemic may serve as a convenient excuse for partners to wrap up their presence in Iraq.
MENASource by
Tue, Jun 30, 2020
Amid the coronavirus, where are US-Gulf counterterrorism efforts headed?
As governments of the Gulf Arab states seek to meet the extraordinary challenges posed by COVID-19, extremists have hastened to find ways to exploit the crisis.
MENASource by Joze Pelayo
Wed, Sep 25, 2019
How to build a Gulf coalition to counter-Iranian regime aggression
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and guided missile cruiser Normandy operate in the Arabian Sea conducting maritime security operations (Reuters) American efforts to build a maritime coalition in the Gulf to counter Iranian regime efforts to impede the free flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have proven difficult and time consuming, but […]
IranSource by John W. Miller
Middle East Programs
Working with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.
Sign up to recieve our newsletter
Sign up for the MENASource newsletter, highlighting pieces that follow democratic transitions and economic changes throughout the region.