Strategic Engagement Group Principals

Steve CoughlinStephen Coughlin, VP of Strategic Communication Initiatives

Stephen Coughlin is the Vice President of Strategic Communication Initiatives for SEG, Inc. Mr. Coughlin is the leading expert in the United States on Islamic Doctrine, specifically as it relates to the doctrinal drivers of jihad. He is a USAR Major branched Military Intelligence, and was previously assigned to CENTCOM J2 where he worked strategic communications / information operations problems in the AOR. Until recently, he was a consultant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J2 (Intelligence) where he supported Joint Staff strategic communications related to Islamic law on jihad in association with OEF, OIF, and the WOT. Stephen Coughlin is an attorney with a background in International law and International business. Before starting with Jorge Scientific, he worked at LexisNexis Special Services Inc supporting certain government organizations in the classified domain. Prior to that, he was the International Export Counsel for West Group and a member of the prestigious West Publishing Editorial staff. Mr. Coughlin holds the JD from the William Mitchell School of Law, and BA degree in history and Russian area studies, from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Coughlin also served on the Board of Governors of the Minnesota State Bar.

In 2006, Mr. Coughlin’s thesis, “To Our Great Detriment: Ignoring What Extremists Say About Jihad,” was accepted by the National Defense Intelligence College, and details the doctrinal drivers of jihad within Islamic Doctrine, and the failure of the United States leadership to learn and understand this doctrine. He has taught, lectured, and briefed senior members of DoD, members of Congress, senior U.S. Government officials, and many law enforcement and intelligence officers in the United States.

John GuandoloJohn Guandolo, VP of Strategic Planning and Execution

John Guandolo is the Vice President of Strategic Planning and Execution for SEG, Inc. Mr. Guandolo is a 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, who took a commission as an Officer of Marines. He served with 2d Battalion 2d Marines as an Infantry Platoon Commander in combat in Operations Desert Shield/Storm. From 1991-1996, he served in 2d Force Reconnaissance Company as a Platoon Commander, Assistant Operations Officer, and the unit’s Airborne and Diving Officer. In 1996, Mr. Guandolo resigned his commission in the Marine Corps and joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving at the Washington Field Office. He worked a myriad of investigations, was the SWAT Team Leader of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and was an Advanced Capability Medic within the FBI. In the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, Mr. Guandolo developed an expertise in the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic Doctrine, and the global Islamic Movement. In 2006, after being designated a “Subject Matter Expert (SME)” in the FBI, Mr. Guandolo created and implemented the FBI’s first Counterterrorism Training/Education Course for which he was awarded the “Defender of the Homeland” Award by U.S. Senators Jon Kyl and Joseph Lieberman on behalf of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C. in 2007. His training course was hailed as “groundbreaking” by the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director in a brief to the Vice President’s National Security Staff. Currently, Mr. Guandolo advises government leaders at the national and state level on matters related to National Security, specifically the threat from the Global Islamic Movement.