Nicholas Rasmussen

Non-Resident Senior Fellow

Nicholas Rasmussen is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security at NYU School of Law. He has served as a leading U.S. official on national security, intelligence, and counterterrorism for more than three decades. He is currently Senior Advisor for National Security and Leadership Programs at the McCain Institute, a non-profit organization committed to defending democracy, advancing human rights, and empowering character-driven leaders. His principal areas of expertise include national security strategy, policy and decision-making, terrorism/counterterrorism and violent extremism, and the nexus between national security and technology.

Rasmussen has held leadership positions in the U.S. Intelligence Community as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) from 20014-2017, as a senior member of the National Security Council (NSC) staff at the White House for almost 8 years under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, as the Counterterrorism Coordinator for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from 2022 through 2024, and as the founding executive director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), a 501(c)(3) organization designed to prevent terrorists from exploiting the internet. From 20218 to 2020, Rasmussen served as Senior Director for National Security and Counterterrorism Programs at the McCain Institute.

Rasmussen began his career at the State Department focused on political-military affairs. From 1991-2001, he was a member of small teams working on security in the Persian Gulf region, efforts to constrain North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, and U.S. efforts to support Arab-Israeli peace. He entered public service in 1991 via the Presidential Management Intern/Fellow (PMI/PMF) program.

Rasmussen has held professional affiliations as a Distinguished Visitor or Advisor with the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas and with the National Security College at the Australian National University. He previously held an appointment as Professor of Practice with the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University.

Rasmussen was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal by the Director of National Intelligence. He is a recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award, awarded to the top 1% of career members of the Senior Executive Service.  

Rasmussen holds a B.A. with High Honors from Wesleyan University and an MPA from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs.