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Author of The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (2007) and America the Vulnerable (2004). Former adviser on homeland security for the U.S. Commission on National Security (Hart-Rudman Commission) and retired Coast Guard officer. Researches and writes on issues related to homeland security.
Expertise:Catastrophic terrorism; emergency preparedness; critical infrastructure protection;trade and transportation security; and border control modernization.
Experience:Consulting Professor, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University (2006-present); member, Marine Board, National Academy of Sciences (present); consultant on homeland security, U.S. Commission on National Security (Hart-Rudman Commission (2000-2001); Director, Office of Global Issues, National Security Council (1997); Associate Professor, U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1994-99); Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution (1991-94); Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard, Cutter Redwood (1992-93); Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard, Cutter Point Arena (1984-86); Commander, U.S. Coast Guard (retired).
Honors:Maritime Security Service Recognition Award for Outstanding Worldwide Leadership (2005); Legion of Merit (2001); Coast Guard Academy Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award (1999); Annenberg Scholar-in-Residence, University of Pennsylvania (1993-94); International Affairs Fellowship, Council on Foreign Relations (1991-92); Distinguished Graduate, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (1988).
Selected Publications:"America the Resilient," Foreign Affairs (March/April 2008); "5 Disasters Coming Soon If We Don’t Rebuild U.S. Infrastructure," Popular Mechanics (online edition, October 19, 2007); The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (Random House 2007); “The Brittle Superpower” in Seeds of Disaster (Cambridge University Press, 2006); “A Port in the Storm Over Dubai,” New York Times (2006); “Port Security Is Still a House of Cards,” Far Eastern Economic Review (January/February 2006); “Think Inside the Box,” New York Times (2005); “U.S. Port Security and the Global War on Terror,” American Interest (Autumn 2005); “Color Me Scared,” New York Times (2005); “Our Hair is on Fire,” Wall Street Journal (coauthor, 2004); “The Neglected Home Front,” Foreign Affairs (September/October 2004); America the Vulnerable: How Our Government is Failing to Protect Us from Terrorism (HarperCollins, 2004); America—Still Unprepared, Still in Danger, Report of an Independent Task Force (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2002); “Creating the Department of Homeland Security: Rethinking the Ends and Means,” Journal of Commerce (2002).
Related Links:
Stephen Flynn writes about America's infrastructure crisis on Anderson Cooper 360 (blog; January 28, 2009)
Read the 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers
Stephen Flynn discusses what went right with U.S. Airways Flight 1549, on the Rachel Maddow Show (television interview; January 16, 2009)
Current Research Projects
Past Research Project
October 28, 2009
Audio
Listen to Massimo Sarmi, chief executive officer of Poste Italiane, discuss the steps that his organization is taking to address cybersecurity threats.
See more in Cybersecurity
October 28, 2009
Video
Watch Massimo Sarmi, chief executive officer of Poste Italiane, discuss the steps that his organization is taking to address cybersecurity threats.
See more in Cybersecurity
August 28, 2009
Op-Ed
Anderson Cooper 360
Stephen Flynn, Frank J. Cilluffo, and Sharon L. Cardash remember Hurrican Katrina and discuss the risks from future natural disasters if infrastructure is ignored.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security
May 5, 2009
Op-Ed
Anderson Cooper 360
Stephen E. Flynn and Irwin Redlener argue that the United States would fail a pandemic preparedness stress test.
See more in United States, National Security and Defense, Preparedness, Public Health Threats
April 28, 2009
Podcast
Stephen Flynn, a leading homeland security expert, says while the initial U.S. response to the swine flu outbreak has gone reasonably well, the country remains ill prepared for a severe epidemic.
See more in Global Health, Public Health Threats
May-June 2009
Article
American Interest
Stephen E. Flynn asks, "Is homeland security still on the nation's radar screen?"
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security
January 27, 2009
Transcript
With the Department of Homeland Security in the midst of its first presidential transition, what changes can the nation expect? President Obama's economic stimulus plan suggests nearly 400,000 jobs would be created for critical infrastructure repair projects. How should these projects and other homeland security matters be prioritized in a new administration? Please join Everett Ehrlich and Stephen E. Flynn to discuss these critical issues.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security
January 27, 2009
Audio
Listen to experts provide a briefing on critical infrastructure priorities for Homeland Security including how the nearly 400,000 jobs suggested by President Obama's economic stimulus plan would be created for critical infrastructure repair projects.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Homeland Security
June 18, 2008
Op-Ed
Newsday
The Department of Homeland Security is looking to start its own, maritime version of ‘Neighborhood Watch’ writes Stephen Flynn, referring to Secretary Michael Chertoff's request that boater’s keep an eye out for potential terrorist activity on the waters.
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Terrorism
May 15, 2008
Testimony
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Congress
April 2, 2008
Testimony
See more in Port Security, National Security and Defense, Preparedness
March 28, 2008
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
Stephen E. Flynn and John Tierney argue that “the best way to mark the 25th anniversary of President Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ speech would be with a debate about its strategic relevance in our post-Sept. 11 world.”
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Port Security, Defense Policy and Budget
March 5, 2008
Testimony
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Strategy, Homeland Security
March 4, 2008
Podcast
CFR’s Stephen Flynn says the next U.S. president must revive civilian infrastructure, and with it the confidence to confront disasters both natural and manmade.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security
March/April 2008
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
Terrorism and other disasters demand calmness and preparation, not panic and demagoguery.
See more in United States, Homeland Security
November 7, 2007
Podcast
CFR security expert Stephen Flynn outlines the principles he thinks the next president should follow in order to effectively safeguard the homeland.
See more in United States, Homeland Security
September 12, 2007
Audio
Listen to Stephen E. Flynn, the Council's Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies, discuss America's infrastructure vulnerability and its homeland security implications as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call Series.
See more in Homeland Security, National Security and Defense, Preparedness
September 12, 2007
Transcript
See more in Homeland Security, National Security and Defense
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