MARCH 2025

In mid February, NCITE sent a group of faculty, staff, and students to Washington, D.C., to present on NCITE's last two years as part of a biennial review with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Dear NCITErs, 

I send this letter to you at the halfway point of our 10-year tenure as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of University Programs’ Center of Excellence for counterterrorism research. We just completed our second biennial review, where we shared the incredible work of the institutions, faculty, students, and professional research staff who make up the NCITE consortium. Nearly 20 of us presented to a panel of academic and government reviewers working on behalf of the Science and Technology Directorate in mid-February, which was our final hurdle in our six-month review.

For example, Dr. Daisy Muibu shared her multi-year project (co-led by Dr. Joe Young) that is geared at protecting the counterterrorism workforce in the United States. While this project was meant to impact operations in DHS, the research team recently published a short booklet illustrating the effects of exposure to traumatic material that I see as relevant to each of our networks (students, faculty, practitioners). A key takeaway from the project is that national security work – while sometimes very difficult – provides each of us purpose when we make an effort to directly link day-to-day tasks with keeping our communities safe.

Another topic we discussed at the biennial was how we have structured NCITE to lead our national consortium of 42 institutions across the United States, sharing how we select research projects to support operations for the counterterrorism mission in the United States. We are in the throes of Year 6 selections right now, and you can read in this explainer about how we work directly with the USG to down-select the incredibly high-quality proposals we receive.

But most of all, the biennial showcased our commitment to the conduct of scientifically rigorous, operationally focused work about the nature of counterterrorism. NCITE’s mission is to study how to increase the physical safety of Americans against emerging terrorism threats. The tragic terrorist attack on New Year's Day in New Orleans is a sobering reminder of how important this work is, and several of our senior researchers and students shared their expertise to make sense of this attack.

Our biennial also provided feedback that our access to the USG counterterrorism workforce is the differentiator that allows NCITE research to be unparalleled in operational relevance. For example, our recent NCITE Speaker Series webinar with Jorge Comas, director of the Counter Network Division in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) National Targeting Center, was a result of his position on the NCITE board of directors. Director Comas has served on the NCITE board since 2023. We discussed some of the ways CBP stops terrorists at the border. At NCITE, our work on emerging technologies, transnational terrorism networks, and supporting the counterterrorism workforce speaks directly to the CBP mission. Hosting events like the webinar with Director Comas helps translate the urgency of the CBP mission to eager NCITErs like you.

In short, the NCITE biennial reminded me of the responsibility we all have to support counterterrorism operations and policy through our research. Events like the National Targeting Center’s Speaker Series talk inspire new questions for each of us to consider in our work.

And newsletters like this one give me a chance to remind you of the importance of the work each of us does in keeping our community safe.

Stay focused,

GINA LIGON

NCITE Center Director

Upcoming Events

Werner Speaker Series: Protecting the Supply Chain

🕜 1:30 p.m. CT/2:30 p.m. ET

🗓️ Thursday, March 27

Join NCITE for a discussion with Jennifer Hesterman, Ed.D., a national expert on hardening “soft targets” such as the complex transportation system essential for shipping goods around the country. Hesterman will offer perspective on the threats facing the national supply chain and strategies for protecting it in this hybrid event, sponsored by Werner Enterprises and hosted by NCITE, the UNO College of Business Administration, and UNO College of Information Science & Technology.

NCITE SDSU Webinar: Counterterrorism and Workforce Perspectives in the Southern California Border Region 

🕜 8 a.m. PT/10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET

🗓️ Wednesday, April 23

NCITE, in partnership with San Diego State University's Graduate Program in Homeland Security, will present a daylong webinar, featuring speakers from academia, law enforcement, and homeland security, on counterterrorism and workforce perspectives in the Southern California region.

NCITE Highlights

RECAP: Stopping Terrorism at the Border

On March 5, NCITE hosted a webinar with Jorge Comas, director of the Counter Network Division at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) National Targeting Center, about efforts to keep terrorists from crossing U.S. borders.

Want More? View NCITE's Past Events

Check out a recap of NCITE's January webinar with Trini Ross, U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, about the challenges of prosecuting terrorism cases. And watch previous webinars on our YouTube channel. 

The Hidden Cost of Security: A Guide to Understanding Vicarious Trauma

In a new illustrated booklet, NCITE researchers Joseph Young, Ph.D., and Daisy Muibu, Ph.D., discuss the impact of exposure to violent material on the counterterrorism workforce and what can be done to address it.

New Episodes of NCITE Insights!

NCITE Insights – Cyber Threats: Deepfakes, Cyberattacks, and Critical Infrastructure

In a two-part episode, host Erin Grace sits down with UNO's Deanna House, Ph.D., and Georgia Tech's Ryan Shandler, Ph.D., and Jon Lindsay, Ph.D., to discuss deepfakes and cyberattacks.

NCITE Insights – Business Training for the Homeland Security Enterprise

Guest host Blake Ursch sits down with UNO Master of Business Administration students Karlie Chonis and Jacylan Doering to discuss how business students can contribute to the homeland security mission.

NCITE Insights – The Psychology of Terrorists

Erin sits down with John Horgan, Ph.D., distinguished professor of psychology at Georgia State University, to discuss the psychology behind terrorism, specifically deradicalization versus disengagement and the importance of in-depth interviews.

NCITE Response to the New Orleans Terror Attack

Following the tragic attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day, the NCITE team worked rapidly to help the public make sense of what happened through media interviews, essays, and podcast episodes.