Colonel Randall J. Larsen, USAF (Retired)

Executive Director

Colonel Randall J. Larsen, USAF (Ret), became the executive director of the bi-partisan, Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism in April 2009.  The Commission, led by former Senators Bob Graham (D-FL) and Jim Talent (R-MO), will issue its final report in January 2010.

Col. Larsen previously served as the founding director of The Institute for Homeland Security (2000-2003), as the national security advisor at the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2003-2009), and as the chairman of the Department of Military Strategy and Operations at the National War College (1998-2000) where he created the nation’s first graduate course in homeland security.

He was one of the first witnesses to testify before the 9/11 Commission, and since 9/11 he has served as an expert witness to the Senate Armed Services, Senate Judiciary, House Government Reform, House Homeland Security, and House Budget Committee hearings. In March 2005, he designed and ran a two-day workshop and tabletop exercise for the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security. He was a member of the 2003 Defense Science Board Study on Homeland Security, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Speakers Association. During the past fifteen years, his research has been focused on biological and nuclear terrorism, transportation security, and government reform.

Col.  Larsen is the author of Our Own Worst Enemy: Asking the Right Questions About Security to Protect You, Your Family, and America (Grand Central Publications, 2007). His articles have been published in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, Business Week, and Ripon Forum. Since 2002, he has served as a CBS News consultant/on-camera analyst, and has been a frequent guest commentator on various shows including: ABC World News Tonight, NBC Evening News, Fox News Channel, Jim Lehrer News Hour, The O'Reilly Factor, Larry King Live, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and Oprah.

Col. Larsen’s previous leadership positions include: vice president and corporate officer (one of only five) in a 400-person consulting firm; chief of legislative liaison at the U.S. Transportation Command; and commander of America’s VIP fleet of aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base Maryland, where he was responsible for 1,000 people, 47 airplanes and helicopters, and a $150 million annual operating budget. He also served four years as an intelligence officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.

Col. Larsen has flown a wide range of military and civilian aircraft including supersonic jets, large transport aircraft, airliners executive jets and helicopters.  He flew 400 combat missions in the AH-1G Cobra gunship with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, 17 awards of the Air Medal (3 with "V" Device for Valor), and the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.