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Terrorism, Irregular Warfare and Crime

Terrorism & Irregular Warfare

CNAS explores  strategies for combating  terrorism, violent extremism, and various approaches for tackling the significant challenges posed by insurgencies and irregular warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the globe.

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  • Strategic Questions for Generals Petraeus and Odierno
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 05/06/2008

    As Generals Petraeus and Odierno appear before Congress this week, CNAS has drafted several key questions we feel are among the most vital to ask. As the 2008 presidential election looms, the American people deserve hard answers to hard questions concerning Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and military readiness. CNAS experts are always willing to provide insight and comment on these and other issues.

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  • Life After the Surge: Prospects for Iraq and for the U.S. Military
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 04/02/2008

    This CNAS Congressional Testimony contains Michèle A. Flournoy's statement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, given on April 2, 2008. According to Flournoy, "The only way to consolidate recent security gains in Iraq is to use our substantial political leverage to push various Iraqi actors toward political accommodation.  The Bush administration success or failure in so doing over the coming months will determine the options available to the next President.  When the next Commander in Chief takes office, he or she must put our Iraq policy on a new course that protects our vital interests there but also rebalances risk across our larger regional and global goals.  He or she must also take urgent steps to develop a new and more effective strategy toward Iraq, reduce the strains on our soldiers, marines and their families, free up more forces for other urgent priorities like Afghanistan, and restore the readiness of our military for the full range of possible future contingencies."

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  • Sustainable Security: Developing a Security Strategy for the Long Haul
    Author(s): Jim Thomas
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 04/01/2008

    The inability of many states in the developing world to govern and police themselves effectively or to work collectively with their neigh­bors to secure their regions represents a global security capacity deficit that can threaten U.S. interests. Effectively addressing this security deficit will require a new approach, one that is more preventive and indirect in its nature, that seeks to husband American power, and that reconciles America’s values, interests, and commitments with its finite resources over the long haul.

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  • The Case for Conditional Engagement in Iraq
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 03/06/2008

    Five years into the war in Iraq with no end in sight, a new strategy is needed. The current strategy of unconditional support to Iraq’s central government has not produced nearly enough political progress. President Bush and those wishing to succeed him should embrace a new political strategy in Iraq that makes our military presence conditional on political accommodation...

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  • Strengthening the Readiness of the U.S. Military
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 02/14/2008

    This CNAS Congressional Testimony contains Michèle A. Flournoy's prepared statement to the House Armed Services Committee, on Feb. 14, 2008. According to Flournoy, "the readiness of the U.S. military is just barely keeping pace with current operations. The fight to recruit and keep personnel, and the need to repair and modernize equipment, also means that building and regaining readiness is becoming increasingly costly."

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  • Achieving Unity of Effort in Interagency Operations
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 01/29/2008

    In testimony given to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Flournoy writes that "In the last two decades, the United States has experienced some truly stellar military victories: rolling back Saddam Hussein’s aggression against Kuwait in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, establishing a secure environment for the implementation of peace accords in the Balkans, driving the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and toppling Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime in a matter of weeks."

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  • After an Attack: Preparing Citizens for Bioterrorism
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/27/2007

    Responses to a catastrophic bioterror attack are likely to greatly amplify or substantially mitigate the attack’s consequences. No less significant, if our post-attack responses fail, we are likely to encourage future attacks by demonstrating their efficacy in spreading terror. Citizen preparedness is a key variable in our response, but while the United States has made substantial investments in professional preparation, only rhetorical attention has been paid to preparing the broader public. Using aerosol anthrax and smallpox attacks as primary examples, this paper demonstrates that our present preparations are likely to fail when measured against the six most fundamental citizen expectations. It advocates five research and development investments that would enhance citizen preparation.

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  • Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 09/15/2006
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  • One Bullet Away
    One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer
    Author(s):
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 09/07/2006
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  • This Man's Army: A Soldier's Story from the Front Lines of the War on Terrorism
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 05/19/2006
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  • Afghan Taliban Takes Step Toward Peace Talks to End War With U.S.
    Type: News Item
    Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

    January 4, 2012 — In Bloomberg Businessweek, CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comments on the role of Pakistan's military and security forces as spoilers to any peace efforts in Central Asia.

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  • Both Sides of the COIN
    Type: News Item
    Source: Foreign Affairs

    January 1, 2012 — CNAS Visiting Fellow MAJ Fernando Lujan, USA writes in Foreign Affairs on a need to institutionalize the adaptations of the past decade and increase the U.S. military's capabilities in smaller-scale counterinsurgency and stabilization efforts.

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  • Mexico's cartels build own national radio system
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Associated Press

    December 26, 2011 — CNAS expert Colonel Robert Killebrew, USA (Ret.) talks with the Associated Press about the Mexican Zetas drug cartel's increasingly sophisticated forms of communication.

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  • Obama marks end of Iraq war but security concerns linger
    Type: News Item
    Source: Deutsche Welle

    December 15, 2011 — CNAS Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow Nora Bensahel comments in Deutsche Welle about the ongoing security role in Iraq for the U.S. military even though the war is over.

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  • Pentagon program to limit the threat of roadside bombs faces budget cut
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Washington Post

    December 14, 2011 — In The Washington Post, authors of the CNAS report Hard Choices recommend that current IED program be shut down by 2017, and for certain aspects to become integrated into the military services for further development.

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  • New Afghanistan Plan: Less U.S. Fighting, More Training
    Type: News Item
    Source: Wired - Danger Room

    December 14, 2011 — On Wired's Danger Room blog, Spencer Ackerman links the U.S. shift in Afghan strategy to a recent CNAS policy brief.

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  • In U.S. Shift, Afghans to Take Reins
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Wall Street Journal

    December 14, 2011 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comments in The Wall Street Journal on a coming shift in U.S. strategy in Afghanistan towards helping Afghan troops take the lead.

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  • The danger of military success
    Type: News Item
    Source: Armed Forces Journal

    December 12, 2011 — CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Robert Killebrew writes in the Armed Forces Journal about the most effective ways for military planners to learn from success and failure.

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  • Time to declare victory over Qaeda?
    Type: News Item
    Source: Agence France-Presse

    December 9, 2011 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comments in the Agence France-Presse on Al-Qaeda's diminishing pool of potential leaders.

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  • Does the US military want Afghanistan to get even nastier?
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Guardian

    December 8, 2011 — CNAS President John Nagl comments in The Guardian on whether the Taliban's increasingly brutal tactics are an indication of desperation.

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  • A Roundtable Discussion on Nigeria with Assistant Secretary of State Michael H.
    Roundtable Discussion on Nigeria with Assistant Secretary of State Michael H. Posner
    January 28, 2013 - 10:00am - 12:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On Monday, January 28, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a roundtable discussion on the security situation in Nigeria featuring Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael H. Posner.

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  • thomas de maziere, center for a new american security, counterinsurgency
    Counterinsurgency and Afghanistan: Experiences, Strategies and Perspectives
    February 17, 2012 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Crystal Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On February 17, the Center for a New American Security and ISPK hosted Dr. Thomas de Maizière, Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany, for a public address titled “Counterinsurgency and Afghanistan: Experiences, Strategies and Perspectives.” Dr. de Maizière’s address was followed by a question and answer session chaired by Dr. John A. Nagl, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow.

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  • Lt. Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, Afghanistan, ANA
    Roundtable Discussion with Lieutenant General Sher Mohammad Karimi, Chief of Staff for the Afghan Military
    February 8, 2012 - 9:00am - 11:00am
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On February 8, the Center for a New American Security hosted a discussion about the future of Afghanistan with Lieutenant General Sher Mohammad Karimi, Chief of Army Staff for the Afghan military. Lieutenant General Karimi discussed some of his current challenges and concerns, focusing on the Afghan Air Force and continued international support for the ANA beyond 2014.

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  • The Partnership
    The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb
    January 4, 2012 - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
    The W Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) cordially invites you to the book launch for The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb by award-winning New York Times journalist Philip Taubman. RSVP here or call (202) 457-9427.

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  • Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity
    October 7, 2011 - 8:30am - 10:30am
    The Newseum's Knight Conference Center
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On October 7, 2011, CNAS released Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity at an event featuring a discussion with the report authors - LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp - and leading defense and budget experts Gordon Adams and Tom Donnelly.

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  • Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
    Roundtable Discussion with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
    September 16, 2011 - 2:30pm - 3:30pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On September 16, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on the key themes that will shape NATO's spring 2012 summit.

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  • Counterstrike
    Counterstrike: The Untold Story Of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda
    September 8, 2011 - 5:30pm - 8:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Grand Ball Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) cordially invites you to the inaugural book release party for COUNTERSTRIKE: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda by acclaimed New York Times national security reporters and former CNAS Writers in Residence Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker.

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  • MG Buchanan, CNAS, Iraq, security agreement, Operation New Dawn
    MG Jeffrey Buchanan, USA Discussion on Operation New Dawn: Bridge to an Enduring Partnership
    August 18, 2011 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    In light of the impending end of the United States Forces–Iraq mission this December, Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, USA, Director of Strategic Effects for United States Forces-Iraq, visited CNAS to speak about the evolving role of the United States in Iraq and the challenges and opportunities for the future of U.S.-Iraq relations amidst a changed Middle East.

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  • Secretary Panetta
    Challenges for the New U.S. Secretary of Defense
    August 4, 2011 - 7:45am - 9:15am
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On August 4, CNAS President John A. Nagl, Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.), and Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow Dr. Nora Bensahel led a roundtable discussion over breakfast addressing the challenges faced by the new U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. 

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  • Aum Shinrikyo: Insights Into How Terrorists Develop Biological and Chemical Weapons
    July 28, 2011 - 10:30am - 12:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Grand Ball Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    In 1995, the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo unleashed terror on the Tokyo subway system with a highly-publicized sarin gas attack. However, less is known about the group’s development of biological and chemical weapons and about their prior attacks using these weapons. 

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  • David Barno
    Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.)
    Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow

    General Barno, a highly decorated military officer with over 30 years of service, has served in a variety of command and staff positions in the United States and around the world, to include command at every level. He served many of his early years in special operations forces with Army Ranger battalions, to include combat in both the Grenada and Panama invasions. In 2003, he was selected to establish a new three-star operational headquarters in Afghanistan and take command of the 20,000 U.S. and Coalition Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom. For 19 months in this position, he was responsible for the overall military leadership of this complex political-military mission, devising a highly innovative counterinsurgency strategy in close partnership with the U.S. embassy and coalition allies.

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  • Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow

    Dr. Nora Bensahel is Deputy Director of Studies and a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.  She recently co-authored Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity, and Sustainable Pre-eminence: Reforming the U.S. Military at a Time of Strategic Change. Her other research interests include stability operations, counterinsurgency, civilian capacity for operations abroad, and coalition and alliance operations. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Security Studies Program at the Edmund A.

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  • Dr. Patrick M. Cronin
    Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program

    Patrick M. Cronin is a Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).  Previously, he was the Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at National Defense University and has a nearly 30-year career inside government and academic research centers, spanning defense affairs, foreign policy, and development assistance.

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  • Robert Leslie Deak
    Robert Leslie Deak
    Board of Directors, National Defense University

    Robert Leslie Deak is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bittachon Holdings, Inc, a firm based out of Rye, New York, that develops and manages companies in the United States and the broader Middle East. Previously, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American National Bank of New York from 1985 to 1991 and before that was President and CEO of Deak-Perera US, Inc., from 1973 to 1985.

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  • Peter deNeufville
    Peter B. deNeufville
    Chairman, Voltaix, LLC

    Peter deNeufville serves as Chairman of Voltaix, L.L.C., a manufacturer of chemical-vapor-deposition materials for the semiconductor and thin-film photovoltaic industries.  He is also a partner in DNAC, a New York-based merchant advisory firm.  He has helped finance and served as a director for a number of early-stage technology companies. 

    Mr. deNeufville is also active in national security and environmental issues.  He is a reserve officer in the U.S.

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  • Lieutenant General David A. Deptula (Ret.)
    Lieutenant General David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
    President and Chief Executive Officer, The Deptula Group, LLC

    Lieutenant General David A. Deptula (Ret.) is a highly decorated military leader who transitioned from the U.S.

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  • Major General Charles Dunlap, USAF (Ret.)
    Associate Director, Duke University School of Law Center on Law, Ethics, and National Security

    Prior to his retirement on 1 June 2010, Major General Dunlap served as Deputy Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Air Force.  In that position he assisted in the professional oversight of more than 2,200 judge advocates, 350 civilian attorneys, 1,400 enlisted paralegals and 500 civilians assigned worldwide.  In addition to overseeing an array of military justice, operational, international and civil law functions, General Dunlap provided legal advice to the Air Staff and commanders at all levels.

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  • David Finkel
    David Finkel
    Writer in Residence

    David Finkel is the author of The Good Soldiers, a ground-level account of the U.S. "surge" into the Iraq war, published in 2009 by Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. An editor and writer for The Washington Post, Finkel has reported from Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, and across the United States, and was part of the Post’s war coverage in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2006 for a series of stories about U.S.

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  • Dr. Colin H. Kahl
    Dr. Colin H. Kahl
    Senior Fellow

    Dr. Colin H. Kahl is a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) focusing on Middle East security and defense policy and an associate professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

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  • Dr. David Kilcullen
    President and CEO, Caerus Associates

    Dr. David Kilcullen is a former Non-Resident Senior Fellow and Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Dr. Kilcullen was also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with CNAS in 2007 and collaborated with CNAS on Iraq and Afghanistan reports, as well as violent extremism and grand strategy Solarium projects in 2007 and 2008.  

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