Dr Richard A. Falkenrath

Richard A. Falkenrath
Dr Richard A. Falkenrath, Deputy Commissioner of Counter-Terrorism, New York Police Department
Richard Falkenrath is the Deputy Commissioner for Counter-Terrorism at the New York City Police Department. Previous to his work at the NYPD, he worked at Harvard University, the White House, and the Brookings Institution.

From September 1993 until December 2000, Commissioner Falkenrath worked at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, first as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; then as Executive Director of the Center; and finally as Assistant Professor of Public Policy. 

In December 2000, Commissioner Falkenrath joined the Bush-Cheney Transition Team, where he was involved in preparing for the presidential transition within the National Security Council. 

In January 2001, Commissioner Falkenrath joined the White House staff, where he served continuously until May 2004.  He first served as Director for Proliferation Strategy on the National Security Council staff; then as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Policy and Plans within the Office of Homeland Security; then, from January 2003, as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor.  In these capacities, Commissioner Falkenrath was responsible for developing and coordinating all aspects of U.S. homeland security policy and law, as well as counterterrorism threat assessment and response.

After leaving the White House, Commissioner Falkenrath became the Stephen and Barbara Friedman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.  He was also a security analyst at the Cable News Network (CNN) until July 2006.  He is a graduate of Occidental College, with degrees in economics and international relations.  He holds a Ph.D. from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, where he was a British Marshall Scholar. Commissioner Falkenrath is the author or coauthor of Shaping Europe’s Military Order (1995), Avoiding Nuclear Anarchy (1996), America’s Achilles Heel: Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Terrorism and Covert Attack (1998), as well as numerous journal articles, chapters of edited volumes, prepared statements for congressional testimony, and op-ed articles.  He is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group.
Last updated on 18 Jan 2010