Counterterrorism Blog

Welcome to the Counterterrorism Blog, a unique, multi-expert blog dedicated to providing a one-stop gateway to the counterterrorism community. To our knowledge, there has been no such blog on the internet. We envision the blog’s audience to be the policymakers in Congress and the Executive Branch, as well as serious students elsewhere, who want to visit a single site to access (1) overnight and breaking news, with realtime intel and commentary by operational experts ("Contributing Experts"); (2) discussions of long-term trends in counterterrorism; (3) summaries of and discussions about US and international law; and (4) a calendar of upcoming events, hearings, and seminars featuring the Contributing Experts. We want to highlight those experts who are or have been deeply involved in counterterrorism cases, and thus enable them to expand their opportunities to bring their expertise to the attention of policymakers.

The site is intended to provide fresh information and various perspectives (sometimes opposing), as presented by the Contributing Experts and in the news articles, columns, and website links posted on the blog. Contributing Experts are responsible only for the content of their posts and links. The editor is responsible for sidebar content and design.

The Founder and Co-Editor, Andrew Cochran, is Vice President of GAGE, a business consulting and government affairs firm headquartered in Washington, DC. GAGE's marketing and business development unit engages in securing a variety of funding, new business, and regulatory approvals for clients. Mr. Cochran advises clients on terrorism and homeland security, corporate governance, and appropriations issues. He also serves as a special adviser to the Congressional Anti-Terrorist Financing Task Force and is Co-Chairman of the Advisory Board of CatholicMil.Org, which serves Catholics serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, their families, and Catholic chaplains. He has appeared in numerous media outlets, including MSNBC, the Fox News Channel, BBC Radio, Congressional Quarterly, and Roll Call to discuss terrorism issues and events. Mr. Cochran previously served as Senior VP of Public Policy Partners LLC from January 2004 until that firm merged with GAGE LLC in September 2005.

From 2001 through 2003, Mr. Cochran was senior oversight counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, chaired by Rep. Michael Oxley (R-OH). He led investigations into terrorism issues and into the corporate accounting scandals, including the first Congressional hearings on Enron, Global Crossing, and WorldCom. He was the lead counsel for the committee's oversight of federal money laundering and anti-terrorist financing issues and the international efforts to seize and repatriate Saddam Hussein’s hidden assets. Many of the Contributing Experts served as witnesses or informally advised the committee on many of the major terrorism issues. He also served in the Reagan Administration as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce, was an attorney in private practice, and was a CPA in Ohio prior to his government service.

Bill Roggio is the co-Chairman of the Counterterrorism Foundation and Co-Editor of the Counterterrorism Blog. He served as a signalman and infantryman in the U.S. Army and the New Jersey National Guard from 1991 to 1997. He has been tracking the daily progress of counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. During the fall of 2005, Mr. Roggio embedded with the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army in Iraq's Anbar province and witnessed the parliamentary election in the heart of the Sunni Triangle. His reporting, analysis and predictions of military operations in Iraq, the development of the Iraqi Army and the splits between al-Qaeda and the Iraqi insurgency at "The Fourth Rail" have been quoted by numerous media outlets and elicited positive reaction from U.S. armed forces personnel and policymakers. Mr. Roggio embedded with the Canadian Army in Kandahar province in May - June of 2006.

Counterterrorism Blog started in January, 2005.