Randall Larsen

Randy Larsen is the Director of the Institute for Homeland Security at ANSER, a nonprofit public-service research institute. He previously served as the Chairman of the Department of Military Strategy and Operations at the National War College where he continues to teach the Homeland Security course. He has also served as a government advisor to the Defense Science Board and as a research fellow at the Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies. During the past seven years, he has written and lectured extensively on the subjects of asymmetric and biological warfare, and the 21st century challenges of homeland security. He was the co-developer of the nationally-acclaimed DARK WINTER exercise which simulated a major terrorism event in the United States. Key players in this exercise included the current Governor of Oklahoma, Frank Keating; former Senator Sam Nunn, special assistant to five presidents, David Gergan; former Director of Central Intelligence, Jim Woolsey; and former FBI Director, William Sessions. Larsen is a frequent guest commentator on the subjects of homeland security and biological warfare on national television and radio shows including: the Jim Lehrer News Hour, CBS Evening News, CBS Morning News, Fox News, ABC's Nightline, Larry King Live, Oprah, Voice of America TV, plus NPR, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and BBC radio. In June 2000, Colonel Larsen retired following 32 years of military service in both the Army and Air Force. His assignments included 400 combat missions in Cobra gunships in Vietnam, duties as a military attaché, legislative assistant, speechwriter to the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Transportation Command, and as the commander of America's fleet of VIP aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. His military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, 17 Air Medals, and the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He has a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies from the Naval Post Graduate School and is a graduate of the Air War College and the Defense Intelligence College.