As Director of Terrorism Studies and Associate Professor at the United States Military Academy, Dr. Forest teaches courses (terrorism/counterterrorism, information warfare, weapons of mass destruction, and sub-Saharan Africa) and participate in several research projects and initiatives for the Combating Terrorism Center. He holds a TS/SCI clearance with the U.S. Department of Defense, and has worked on numerous policy and research initiatives for various government agencies, including serving as an advisor to the 2007 Defense Science Board Task Force on Future War. He began working at West Point in 2001 as Assistant Dean for Academic Assessment.

Dr. Forest was selected by the Center for American Progress and Foreign Policy Magazine as one of "100 of America's most esteemed terrorism and national security experts" and has participated in their Terrorism Index studies for the past 3 years. He has been interviewed by many newspaper, radio and television journalists, and is regularly invited to give speeches and lectures in research projects in the U.S. and abroad. Click here to print a 1-page bio summary.

 

His publications include 13 books and dozens of articles, book chapters, commentary, etc., including:

Books

• Influence Warfare: How Terrorist and Governments Fight to Shape Perceptions in a War of Ideas (Praeger, 2009)
• Handbook of Defence Politics: International and Comparative Perspectives (with Isaiah Wilson) (Routledge, 2008)
• Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century (3 volumes) (Praeger Security International, 2007)
• Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism (McGraw-Hill, 2007, with Russell Howard).
• Teaching Terror: Strategic and Tactical Learning in the Terrorist World (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006)
• Homeland Security: Protecting America's Targets (3 volumes) (Praeger Security International, 2006)
• Oil and Terrorism in the New Gulf: Framing U.S. Energy and Security Policies for the Gulf of Guinea (Lexington Press, 2006, with Matt Sousa )
• The Making of a Terrorist: Recruitment, Training and Root Causes (3 volumes) (Praeger Security International, 2005)
  • Click here for the review in Wilson Quartery
  • Click here for the review in Parameters
• Terrorism and Homeland Security: Readings and Interpretations (McGraw-Hill, 2005, with Russell Howard and Joanne Moore)

Recent Articles, Book Chapters and Commentary

• Influence Warfare and Modern Terrorism, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 10.1 (Winter/Spring 2009).
• AFRICOM: Troubled Infancy, Promising Future, Contemporary Security Policy Vol. 30, No. 1 (April 2009).
• Forest, James. J.F. 2009. "Exploiting the Fears of Al-Qaida's Leadership," The Sentinel Vol. 2, No. 2 (February 2009)
  
• "The Modern Terrorist Threat to Aviation Security," Perspectives on Terrorism 6 (January 4), p. 1-3 (2008).
• "Knowledge Transfer and Shared Learning Among Armed Groups." In Armed Groups: Studies in National Security, Counterterrorism, and Counterinsurgency, edited by Jeffrey Norwitz. Newport, RI: Naval War College (2008).
• Catastrophic Ideologies of Terror (Fund for Peace, 2007) - PDF
• "Terrorists Use of WMD." In Know Thy Enemy: A Look at the World's Most Threatening Terrorist Networks and Criminal Gangs, edited by Mike Kindt, Jerrold Post and Barry Schneider. Maxwell AFB, AL: Air War College (2007).
• "Conclusion." In Combating Terrorism: The Northern Ireland Experience, edited by James Dingley. London: Routledge (2007).
• "Terrorist Sanctuaries in the Age of Information: Exploring the Role of Virtual Training Camps." in Denial of Sanctuary: Understanding Terrorist Safe Havens, edited by Michael Innes. London: Praeger Security International (2007).
• Forest, James JF. 2006. "The Democratic Disadvantage in the Strategic Communications Battlespace." Democracy and Security, 2(a) (2006), p. 73-102
  

 

Recent speaking engagements include:

• CATO Institute Conference, Shaping the Obama Administration's Counterterrorism Strategy (January 2009)
• International Conference, JFK School, Harvard University
• Seminar, New Jersey State Police Chiefs Association
• Africa and Terrorism conference, Fletcher School, Tufts University
• Guest Speaker, CSTPV, St. Andrews University, Scotland
  
• International security conference, Zurich, Switzerland
• Seminar, FBI Executive Retreat
  
• International security conference, Haifa, Israel
  
• Port security conference, New York
  
• NATO counterterrorism seminar, Ankara, Turkey
  
• Symposium on global insurgency, Joint Special Ops University
  
• Threat Convergence Summit, Arlie, Virginia
• Course on Irregular Warfare, Columbia University
• Seminar, Defense Institute of International Legal Studies
  
  • Some speeches and lectures are available online at this website.
  • For more, please visit the CTC website: http://ctc.usma.edu

Here's a photo of me, Bruce Hoffman and Ted Koppel, from November 2006
(click on the image for a larger version)

Other photos from the rogue's gallery . . .
(click on each image for a larger version)

With Vinnie Viola and Jarret Brachman, from a 9/11 NYC event in 2007		With military officers from Jordan and the UK		Briefing the Army Science Board in 2006
Sometimes we get to be a little informal . . .		With military officers from Tanzania		CTC group photo with Gen. Abizaid, Distinguished Chair

Other Information:

My formal education includes graduate degrees from Boston College and Stanford University, and undergraduate degrees from Georgetown University and De Anza College.

Click here for a video of my brother re-enlisting in the Marine Corps.

Click here for a video interview on American Microphone.

For more information or a copy of my CV, please contact me at: james.forest@usma.edu.