Security expert to speak at W&J
Counterterrorism and national security expert Jibey Asthappan will present “The Cost of War: Weighing Civilian Losses in the Afghan War,” at 6 p.m. Thursday in Room 100 of the Dieter-Porter Life Sciences Building at Washington & Jefferson College.
His lecture, which is free and open to the public, will focus on evaluating operations within Afghanistan by accounting for enemy and civilian losses. The event is part of the J. Robert Maxwell ’43 Visiting Scholar Series.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Asthappan with us this Intersession,” said Kathleen McEvoy, associate professor of English at W&J, and coordinator of this Maxwell Series event. “His hands-on, interactive approach to teaching has made his course on terrorism exciting and eye-opening for his students.”
Asthappan began his career in 1999 as an explosive ordnance disposal technician for the U.S. Air Force. Following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, he was deployed with some of the first troops in Afghanistan. He served as a bomb technician to protect civilians and military targets from improvised explosive devices, as well as chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. He also has provided advanced training for Internal Security Force bomb squad personnel in Qatar.
Asthappan conducted extensive research on counterterrorism and crisis management. While obtaining a doctorate in justice, law and society from American University, he completed a study that would later be published as a book: “Stealing Their Thunder: The Effectiveness of Military Force in Deterring Terrorism.”
Currently, Asthappan teaches courses on homeland security, criminal justice, terrorism, criminology, cybercrime and network security at the University of New Haven, where he is an assistant professor and director of the National Security Program in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences.