Former Director of National Counterterrorism Center Nick Rasmussen Meets with NYU Law Students

CLS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Nicholas Rasmussen met with student members of the law school’s National Security Law Society (NSLS) on October 2nd to discuss counterterrorism policy and reflect on his 27-year career in government across multiple Administrations. Rasmussen, who is currently Senior Director of Counterterrorism and National Security at the McCain Institute, most recently served in government as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) from 2014-2017 after key posts at the State Department and National Security Council under the Obama and Bush Administrations.

In a wide-ranging conversation with the students, Rasmussen offered his insights on the challenges of counterterrorism in the digital age, spoke about the importance of a whole-of-government approach for effective counterterrorism policy, and discussed gaps in engagement with local communities in countering violent extremism efforts. Mr. Rasmussen also discussed the central role of lawyers in shaping national security policy, saying that they “were some of the colleagues I admired most throughout my career” and that for him, “the opportunity to draw bright legal minds into the national security profession is a high priority.”