Michael T. Evanoff | |
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10th Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security | |
In office November 3, 2017 –July 24, 2020 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Gregory B. Starr |
Succeeded by | Gentry O. Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | 1961 (age 62–63) [1] |
Education | Eastern Kentucky University |
Michael Turner Evanoff (born 1961) is an American security expert and government official who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security. Prior to assuming that role,he served as Vice President for Asset Protection &Security for Walmart from 2014 to 2017. Evanoff previously served as Chief Security Officer at Coca-Cola and as Global Director of Security at Och-Ziff Capital Management. From 1985 to 2011,he served as a special agent in the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security,where he held senior positions with the Overseas Security Advisory Council,NATO Office of Security,Secretary of State protection detail,and eight U.S. missions overseas. [2] In his capacity at the State Department,he provided personal protection services to former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. [3]
In June 2018,Evanoff was tasked with assessing the situation arising from a mysterious illness affecting American diplomats and their families in Guangzhou,China,to ensure this was given the due priority that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had demanded. [4]
In February 2019,Evanoff announced a bounty of up to $1 million for information leading to the capture of Hamza bin Laden,the son of Osama bin Laden,who was seen as "an emerging Al-Qaeda leader" who "had threatened attacks against the United States and allies”. He described the announcement as a new tool of the State Departments fight against Al-Qaeda. [5] [6]
Evanoff resigned as Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security in July 2020. [7] He was succeeded by Acting Assistant Secretary Bureau of Diplomatic Security Todd J. Brown. [8]
Al-Qaeda is a pan-Islamist militant organization led by Sunni Jihadists who self-identify as a vanguard spearheading a global Islamist revolution to unite the Muslim world under a supra-national Islamic caliphate. Its membership is mostly composed of Arabs,but also includes people from other ethnic groups. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian,economic and military targets of the US and its allies;such as the 1998 US embassy bombings,the USS Cole bombing and the September 11 attacks. The organization is designated as a terrorist group by NATO,the UN Security Council,the European Union,and various countries around the world.
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian-born Islamist dissident and militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist,he participated in the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union and supported the activities of the Bosnian mujahideen during the Yugoslav Wars. Bin Laden is most widely known as the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks in the United States.
The following lists events that happened during 2001 in Afghanistan.
Richard Alan Clarke is an American national security expert,novelist,and former government official. He served as the Counterterrorism Czar for the National Coordinator for Security,Infrastructure Protection,and Counter-Terrorism for the United States between 1998 and 2003.
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah was a high-ranking Egyptian member of al-Qaeda. He has been described as al-Qaeda's most experienced operational planner and was said to be the second-in-command in the organization at the time of his death.
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the principal law enforcement and security agency of the United States Department of State (DOS). As the operational division of DOS Bureau of Diplomatic Security,its primary mission is to provide security to protect diplomatic assets,personnel,and information,and combat transnational crimes connected to visa and passport fraud. DSS also conducts counterterrorism,counterintelligence,cybersecurity and criminal investigations domestically and abroad.
Osama bin Laden,the founder and former leader of al-Qaeda,went into hiding following the start of the War in Afghanistan in order to avoid capture by the United States and/or its allies for his role in the September 11 attacks,and having been on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since 1999. After evading capture at the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001,his whereabouts became unclear,and various rumours about his health,continued role in al-Qaeda,and location were circulated. Bin Laden also released several video and audio recordings during this time.
Rewards for Justice Program (RFJ) is a U.S. government interagency rewards program that offers money as an incentive for information leading to the arrest of leaders of terrorist groups,financiers of terrorism,including any individual that abide in plotting attacks by cooperating with foreign terrorist organizations. In accordance to the 1984 Act to Combat International Terrorism,the U.S. State Department established the Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program as an interagency rewards program. The foreign threat intelligence committee includes the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) governed by the U.S. Department of State (DOS),Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) of the Department of Defense (DOD),Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ),Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),Secret Service and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S Department of Treasury and the White House. The Rewards for Justice Program directly addresses the foreign threat assessment by identifying entities such as key leaders and financial mechanism of the foreign terrorist organizations.
On May 2,2011,Osama bin Laden,the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda,was shot and killed at his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad by United States Navy SEALs of SEAL Team Six. The operation,code-named Operation Neptune Spear,was carried out in a CIA-led mission,with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) coordinating the Special Mission Units involved in the raid. In addition to SEAL Team Six,participating units under JSOC included the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne),also known as the "Night Stalkers",and the CIA's Special Activities Division,which heavily recruits from former JSOC Special Mission Units. The success of the operation ended a nearly decade-long manhunt for bin Laden,who was accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Karl Frederick Inderfurth is an American diplomat. He was the assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs from August 1997 to January 2001. In his capacity as assistant secretary,Inderfurth was responsible for US policy regarding Afghanistan,Bangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan,and Sri Lanka. Prior to his appointment as assistant secretary,Inderfurth served as the U.S. representative for special political affairs to the United Nations,with the rank of ambassador. In this capacity,he dealt with issues such as UN peacekeeping,disarmament,nuclear proliferation and security affairs. Inderfurth also served as deputy U.S. representative on the United Nations Security Council.
Hamza bin Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden,better known as Hamza bin Laden,was a Saudi Arabian-born member of al-Qaeda. He was a son of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden,and,following his father's death in 2011,he was described as an emerging leader of the al-Qaeda organization.
Michael A. Sheehan was an American author and former government official and military officer. He was a Distinguished Chair at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point,New York and a terrorist analyst for NBC News.
Bruce O. Riedel is an American expert on U.S. security,South Asia,and counter-terrorism. He is currently a senior fellow in the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution,and a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He also serves as a senior adviser at Albright Stonebridge Group.
Pakistan and state-sponsored terrorism refers to the involvement of Pakistan in terrorism through the backing of various designated terrorist organizations. Pakistan has been frequently accused by various countries,including its neighbours Afghanistan,Iran,and India,as well as by the United States,the United Kingdom,Germany,and France,of involvement in a variety of terrorist activities in both its local region of South Asia and beyond. Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border have been described as an effective safe haven for terrorists by Western media and the United States Secretary of Defense,while India has accused Pakistan of perpetuating the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir by providing financial support and armaments to militant groups,as well as by sending state-trained terrorists across the Line of Control and de facto India–Pakistan border to launch attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir and India proper,respectively. According to an analysis published by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution in 2008,Pakistan was reportedly,with the possible exception of Iran,perhaps the world's most active sponsor of terrorist groups;aiding these groups that pose a direct threat to the United States. Pakistan's active participation has caused thousands of deaths in the region;all these years Pakistan has been supportive to several terrorist groups despite several stern warnings from the international community. Daniel Byman,a professor and senior analyst of terrorism and security at the Center For Middle East Policy,also wrote that Pakistan is probably 2008's most active sponsor of terrorism. In 2018,the former Prime Minister of Pakistan,Nawaz Sharif,suggested that the Pakistani government played a role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba,a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist group. In July 2019,Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan,on an official visit to the United States,acknowledged the presence of some 30,000–40,000 armed terrorists operating on Pakistani soil. He further stated that previous administrations were hiding this truth,particularly from the United States,for the last 15 years during the War on Terror.
For purposes of U.S. foreign policy,South Asia consists of Afghanistan,Bangladesh,Bhutan,India,the Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan,and Sri Lanka. The Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs was Nisha Desai Biswal.
Pakistan's role in the War on Terror is a widely discussed topic among policy-makers of various countries,political analysts and international delegates around the world. Pakistan has simultaneously received allegations of harbouring and aiding terrorists and commendation for its anti-terror efforts. Since 2001,the country has also hosted millions of Afghan refugees who fled the war in Afghanistan.
On May 2,2011,United States President Barack Obama confirmed that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed in his compound in Abbottabad,northeastern Pakistan. Bin Laden's death was welcomed by many as a positive and significant turning point in the fight against al-Qaeda and related groups. Those who welcomed it included the United Nations,European Union,NATO,and some nations in Asia,Africa,Oceania,South America,and the Middle East,including Yemen,Lebanon,Saudi Arabia,India,Israel,Indonesia,Somalia,the Philippines,Turkey,Iraq,Australia,Argentina,and the rebel Libyan Republic.
Pakistan was alleged to have provided support for Osama bin Laden. These claims have been made both before and after Osama was found living in a compound in Abbottabad,Pakistan and was killed by a team of United States Navy SEALs on 2 May 2011. The compound itself was located just half a mile from Pakistan's premier military training academy Kakul Military Academy (PMA) in Abbottabad. In the aftermath of bin Laden's death,American president Barack Obama asked Pakistan to investigate the network that sustained bin Laden. "We think that there had to be some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan",Obama said in a 60 Minutes interview with CBS News. He also added that the United States was not sure "who or what that support network was." In addition to this,in an interview with Time magazine,CIA Director Leon Panetta stated that US-officials did not alert Pakistani counterparts to the raid because they feared the terrorist leader would be warned. However,the documents recovered from bin Laden's compound 'contained nothing to support the idea that bin Laden was protected or supported by the Pakistani officials'. Instead,the documents contained criticism of Pakistani military and future plans for attack against the Pakistani military installations.
Amin Muhammad Ul Haq Saam Khan is an Afghan national and a trained doctor. He is reported to have been a former Osama bin Laden bodyguard and a security coordinator. Haq is believed to have escaped from Tora Bora with Osama bin Laden.
Paul R. Houston is an American federal law enforcement officer who serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Department of State for the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for Threat Investigations and Analysis (TIA). During his career with the DSS,Houston served as the director of the DSS Office of Special Investigations conducting criminal and administrative investigations for the U.S. Department of State. Paul served as the deputy director of the Department of State (DS) Command Center. As a member of the Advisory team,he led and participated in numerous projects in the public and private sections,involving conducting overseas criminal and administrative investigations,threat dissemination and crisis command and control.