Colonel J.M. "Matt" Venhaus

Career U.S. Army officer Colonel J.M. "Matt" Venhaus's research and writings will center around the development and implementation of a total government solution to reduce the available pool of potential recruits for extremist organizations in the Middle East.  Using a persuasive public media campaign at its center, he plans to focus on the underlying social and psychological factors that lead some young people to seek association with violent extremeist organizations and methods by which recruitments can be reduced.  The approach will not concentrate on tearing down a belief system but rather on building self-esteem and a sense of purpose within the target population.  For any such strategy to have a chance of success, it must include a holistic and inclusive approach within the US government and a collaborative dialogue with regional partners so that any message is fully supported by a variety of US efforts working by, with, and through credible media outlets and voices in the region.

COL Venhaus has spent most of his 23 years in the Army in the field of foreign media influence operations.  A 1987 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, COL Venhaus has served in a variety of command and staff positions.  He was the Chief of Radio and Television production and dissemination for NATO Stabilization Forces in Bosnia.  Later, he was the Operations Officer for the Joint Psychological Operations Task Force during Operation ALLIED FORCE (the Kosovo Air Campaign).  He served as the Information Operations Chief of Targeting and Assessment in Afghanistan during the early stages of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.  After returning from Afghanistan, he served as a Senior Human Factors Analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency.  During his most recent operational deployment, he was the Commander of the Joint Psychological Operations Task Force responsible for the conduct of PSYOP throughout the US Central Command's Area of Responsibility with forces operating in over 11 countries.

In addition to his Bachelor's Degree, he has been awarded a Master's Degree in International Relations from Troy University, and he is continuing his post-graduate study in Strategic Public Relations with the George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management.