THE Business Exposure Reduction Group

Finding hidden risks, Charting a safe course

Dominick R. (Dick) Gannon

Dominic R. Gannon (Col. USMC ret.) is an expert on international security matters and crisis management.  Mr. Gannon, who has had distinguished careers with the US Marine Corps and the US State Department, has successfully managed multi-million dollar budgets, personnel, logistics, and complex international policies.   

Mr. Gannon’s experience in working issues related to security and terrorism within the international arena is without peer.   After the terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon in October, 1983, Colonel Gannon, who was assigned to the Department of State’s Bureau of Political Military Affairs, worked closely with the Department of Defense Task Force chaired by Admiral Long to investigate the incident and recommend courses of action to prevent further attacks.  After retiring from the USMC, Mr. Gannon remained at the Department of State where he helped organize the newly created Bureau of Diplomatic Security and developed professional training curriculum for the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Assistance Training Program for foreign governments.    Dick also served on the 1986 Vice President’s Task Force on Combating Terrorism, which produced recommendations that led to a fundamental and sweeping reorganization of the US Government’s policies and organizations fighting terrorists.   

Since 1990, Mr. Gannon worked as a Deputy Director in the Office of the Coordinator for Counter Terrorism, where he directed policy on Anti-Terrorism Assistance Training and Transportation Security.  In addition, Mr. Gannon provided leadership for coordinating the response of US Government agencies to international terrorist incidents and managed incidents in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.   Mr. Gannon has organized and directed table top and field exercises that tested the ability of the US Government Agencies to respond effectively to international terrorist attacks, including those involving chemical, biological, and nuclear scenarios.  He was regularly requested to speak to aviation security and maritime security experts and led several inter-agency delegations to official meetings and conferences overseas.  Before the Gulf War in the fall of 1990, Mr. Gannon helped design and implement international aviation security measures worldwide that prevented terrorist attacks when hostilities erupted in January of 1991.

Before joining the State Department, Mr. Gannon had a successful career with the Marine Corps.  His accomplishments included establishing, organizing and managing the Maritime Prepositioning Programs Branch for the USMC (1980-1981), Commanding the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California, and serving as the Senior Marine Corps Advisor to the Colombian Marine Corps in Bogota, Colombia.  Mr. Gannon is a decorated veteran and served two tours in Vietnam.