User:Rudolph Atallah

Rudolph Atallah, USAF Ret., is Chief Executive Officer of White Mountain Research LLC—a service-disabled veteran owned company dedicated to understanding and mitigating complex global threats to human security. A native of Beirut, Lebanon and fluent in Arabic and French, Mr. Atallah’s 21-year career in the United States Air Force spanned from aviation, to special operations and intelligence, to counterterrorism. Prior to his 2009 retirement, Mr. Atallah served as the Africa Counterterrorism Director and Morocco/Tunisia Country Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Regarded internationally for his ground truth insights on African security matters, Mr. Atallah is a sought- after speaker and adviser on national security, counter-terrorism, and cultural intelligence issues. He has been a featured guest on programs such as National Public Radio’s Diane Rehm Show, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, and on the National Geographic Channel, where he discussed his involvement in African counter-piracy and the successful resolution of the 2009 Maersk Alabama incident. Over the past decade, Mr. Atallah has traveled to over 100 countries and has met with five heads of state. He has advised the Secretary of Defense and many other senior US officials on counterterrorism policy and strategy, and has served as a trusted advisor to the U.S. Department of State and numerous US embassies across Africa. Mr Atallah assumed the position of Africa Counterterrorism Director in 2003, and was concurrently East Africa Director from 2003-2007. At the time of his retirement, he was the only Foreign Area Officer in the Air Force holding three concurrent regional specialization designations: Africa, Middle East, and Europe. Mr. Atallah holds a bachelor of science in electrical and biomedical engineering, and a masters of science in international relations. He is a published photographer of African landscapes and indigenous peoples.