We live in a world that values continuing education. Thomas Friedman’s book “The World is Flat” identified and grouped individuals that would be successful in the era of globalization into four groups: “Special, Specialized, Anchored, and Adaptable” Individuals that were “Special” were those likely identified as celebrities, political, or religious leaders. Those within the “Specialized” […]

The world has experienced epochs that radically transformed the global culture in each instance. Examples are the Bronze Age, The Industrial Revolution, the Nuclear Age and now the Cyber Revolution. In each epoch, the technological advances had profound impacts to traditional cultures, with corresponding benefits and drawbacks. The Internet and digital age is the latest […]

Why should everyone employed and those who seek employment in the intelligence field consider the study of protection management and particularly the study of terrorism? The answer is multifaceted and versatile, yet ultimately simple. First, to do your job better; second, to understand your enemy so that you can defeat him/her; and third, to better […]

The Middle East is often referred to as the \”cradle of civilization\” for being the location of several ancient civilizations and cultures such as Babylonia, Persia, Israel and Egypt. The checkered history of the region is marked with the collapse of empires and almost perpetual conflicts. The major changes that have altered the importance of […]

The most complicated intelligence deception operation in history was run in the last century as Operation Fortitude during WWII. The Nazis were sending spies by the dozens into Great Britain by sea and air to gain war-time intelligence about potential military operations, weapons development, and general public sentiment towards the war. Within weeks of landing […]

Virtually every American has heard of the terror organization al-Qaeda, the perpetrator of the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Few Americans realize that, prior to the 9/11 attack, the terror organization Hezbollah had killed more Americans than any other terror group; some 300 killed in six separate attacks, including 243 Marines […]

We live in exciting times. The long-term effects of the Arab Spring are not well known. There is a civil war raging in Syria; Africa is becoming a hotbed of terrorism; North Korea is acting ever more belligerent, and China is rising to challenge United States (U.S.) hegemony in the Pacific. The U.S. is still […]

National security is a matter of understanding events in order to build policies and capabilities to deal with current and future security threats. The cliche “learn from history” is helpful only when the historic frame of reference is perceived accurately in substance and timing. The general perception of history is that it unfolds in eras […]

As with each violent incident on U.S. soil prior to it, the Boston Marathon terror attack on April 15th provoked deep introspection into what potential intelligence failures may have occurred, what security measures were overlooked, and what resources were not properly utilized. And while there is an ongoing active debate as to whether or not […]

Since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 2001, the focus of the intelligence, defense, and law enforcement communities has been on countering terrorism and strengthening American resilience to terrorist attacks, both at home and abroad. In the pursuit of such, these agencies have revamped their counter terrorism training […]