Top U.S. counterterrorism official Christy Abizaid will step down next month as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) after three years in the role, U.S. officials confirmed on Wednesday. Abizaid, who made history as the first woman and the first openly gay person to lead the NCTC, will be succeeded by Brett Holmgren, the current director of the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). Holmgren will serve as the acting director of the NCTC.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines praised Abizaid’s tenure, stating, “Christy Abizaid is an extraordinary leader who is not only incredibly effective but principled, courageous, and kind. We will miss her, but we are beyond fortunate to have Brett Holmgren taking on the leadership of NCTC — another truly exceptional leader in the counterterrorism field and a distinguished member of the IC leadership team.”
Abizaid was confirmed as NCTC director in June 2021. Her career began at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Intelligence Task Force Combating Terrorism, and she held senior analytic roles in both the Afghanistan-Pakistan Division and the Middle East Division, with multiple deployments to the region. Her leadership at the NCTC has been marked by efforts to enhance the center’s analytical capabilities and strengthen interagency collaboration.
In a 2022 interview on CBS News’ “Intelligence Matters” podcast, Abizaid highlighted the NCTC’s crucial role in counterterrorism: “Our primary role is to connect the dots, to live in the seams and to look across the information that we have to be able to discern when a threat is coming our way. And so transnational linkages, searching for transnational linkages, figuring out ways to disrupt those transnational linkages — that’s our bread and butter.”
The NCTC, established in the aftermath of 9/11, serves as the federal government’s primary counterterrorism analysis center, coordinating efforts with agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. In May, at a security conference in Doha, Qatar, Abizaid emphasized the center’s ongoing relevance in an “elevated global threat environment.”
Brett Holmgren, who will take over as acting director, brings a wealth of experience from his roles at the Defense Intelligence Agency, CIA, and National Security Council, where he served as counterterrorism director under President Barack Obama. At the State Department, Holmgren’s responsibilities will be assumed by Lisa Kenna, former U.S. Ambassador to Peru, who will serve as acting director of the INR.
As Abizaid prepares to step down, the NCTC faces continued challenges in tracking and disrupting terrorist activities worldwide. Holmgren’s appointment is expected to ensure continuity and leverage his extensive counterterrorism experience to maintain the center’s critical mission.
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