Mr. Brian Jenkins
Senior Advisor to the President, RAND Corporation, United States
Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins is a senior adviser to the president of the RAND Corporation and author of numerous books, reports, and articles on terrorism-related topics, including Will Terrorists Go Nuclear? (2008, Prometheus Books). He formerly served as chair of the Political Science Department at the RAND Corporation. On the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Jenkins initiated a RAND effort to take stock of America’s policy reactions and give thoughtful consideration to future strategy. That effort is presented in The Long Shadow of 9/11: America’s Response to Terrorism (Brian Michael Jenkins and John Paul Godges, eds., 2011).
Commissioned in the infantry, Jenkins became a paratrooper and a captain in the Green Berets. He is a decorated combat veteran, having served in the Seventh Special Forces Group in the Dominican Republic and with the Fifth Special Forces Group in Vietnam. He returned to Vietnam as a member of the Long Range Planning Task Group and received the Department of the Army’s highest award for his service.
In 1996, President Clinton appointed Jenkins to the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. From 1999 to 2000, he served as adviser to the National Commission on Terrorism and in 2000 was appointed to the U.S. Comptroller General’s Advisory Board. He is a research associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute, where he directs the continuing research on protecting surface transportation against terrorist attacks. Mr. Brian Jenkins’ research focuses on peacekeeping and stability operations as well as terrorism.
In terms of previous positions, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces, with deployments in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam. He has also held the role of Deputy Chairman at Kroll Associates and was a member of the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. Additionally, he served as an adviser to the National Commission on Terrorism and as a special adviser to the International Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, he was a board member of ICC Commercial Crime Services and a member of the U.S. Comptroller General’s advisory board.
Selected Publications
Brian Michael Jenkins, The Origins of America’s Jihadists, RAND Corporation (PE-251), 2017
Brian Michael Jenkins, Stray Dogs and Virtual Armies: Radicalization and Recruitment to Jihadist Terrorism in the United States Since 9/11, RAND Corporation (OP-343), 2011
Brian Michael Jenkins and John Godges, eds., The Long Shadow of 9/11: America’s Response to Terrorism, RAND Corporation (MG-1107), 2011
Brian Michael Jenkins, Unconquerable Nation: Knowing Our Enemy, Strengthening Ourselves, RAND Corporation (MG-454), 2006
Paul Wilkinson and Brian Michael Jenkins, eds., Aviation Terrorism and Security, Frank Cass Publisher, 2006
David Aaron, ed., Three Years After: Next Steps in the War on Terror, RAND Corporation (CF-212), 2005
Brian Michael Jenkins, Countering al Qaeda: An Appreciation of the Situation and Suggestions for Strategy, RAND Corporation (MR-1620), 2002
Paul K. Davis and Brian Michael Jenkins, Deterrence and Influence in Counterterrorism: A Component in the War on al Qaeda, RAND Corporation (MR-1619), 2002
