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Ira A. Lipman Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and National Security Studies
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-212-434-9676
E-mail: gcopple@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
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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
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, Defense/Homeland Security, 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 Border and Ports, National Security and Defense, Defense/Homeland Security
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, Border and Ports, Defense Policy & 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, Defense/Homeland Security
September 12, 2007
Transcript
See more in Homeland Security, National Security and Defense
August 7, 2007
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
See more in Homeland Security, Defense/Homeland Security
August 2, 2007
Op-Ed
Popular Mechanics
See more in Homeland Security, Defense/Homeland Security
May 7, 2007
Testimony
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Border and Ports
March 22, 2007
Audio
Listen to Stephen Flynn, the Council's Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies, discuss his new book, The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation, with students as part of the Council's Academic Conference Call Series.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security
March 19, 2007
Testimony
Explore international efforts to curb nuclear proliferation with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
The Canadian oil sands present an important challenge to policymakers: they promise energy security benefits but present climate change problems. Michael A. Levi assesses the energy security and climate change effects of the oil sands and makes recommendations for U.S. policymakers within the context of broader bilateral relations with Canada.
This report explores an important element of the maritime policy regime: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Author Scott G. Borgerson examines the international negotiations that led to the convention, the history of debates in the United States over whether to join it, and the strategic importance of the oceans for U.S. foreign policy today.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
In War of Necessity, War of Choice, Richard N. Haass contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of two wars between the United States and Iraq involving the two presidents Bush and Saddam Hussein, and writes an authoritative, personal account of how U.S. foreign policy is made, what it should seek, and how it should be pursued.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba’s unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
As Ray Takeyh shows in Guardians of the Revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans of Iran is a nation that is far more pragmatic—and complex—than many in the West have been led to believe.
Complete list of CFR Books
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