Expert on counterterrorism to discuss work of 9/11 commission

Michael Hurley, a national expert on counterterrorism and senior director of policy for the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, will speak about how the 9/11 Commission is working to protect the United States.

Hurley's talk is from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday (6/2) in room 120 of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave. Individual media interviews with Hurley can be arranged by contacting Shannon Wingard at (614) 247-6821 by 5 p.m. Wednesday (6/1).

As part of the National Commission on the Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, commonly called the 9/11 Commission, Hurley served as senior counsel and director of the counterterrorism policy review team. In addition, he has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations for 21 years. Days after the 9/11 attacks, Hurley volunteered to serve in the CIA's Counterterrorist Center and to be deployed in late 2001 to Afghanistan, where he led CIA personnel and U.S. Special Forces teams against al Qaeda and the Taliban. Among other responsibilities, he was the lead coordinator on the scene for “Operation Anaconda,” the largest military campaign against al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

After returning to Washington, DC, in March 2003, Hurley was asked to join the 9/11 Commission by Chair Tom Kean. In that position, he managed a team responsible for conducting more than 150 interviews, including with President Bill Clinton and Cabinet-level officials of both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, and reviewing hundreds of thousands of government documents.
WHAT: Michael Hurley, a national expert on counterterrorism and senior director of policy for the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, will discuss the 9/11 Commission's work to protect Americans.
WHEN: Noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday (6/2)
WHERE: Room 120 of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 1501 Neil Ave.