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Biography - Thomas Mark Hastings

Thomas Hastings received a bachelor’s degree in business management from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and master’s degrees in Personnel Management from Central Michigan University and National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant.

In June 2006, he joined the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) where he is the Program Manager for the FBI’s Foreign and Domestic Emergency Support Team programs. He is also the FBI lead for the implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) into FBI doctrine and practice. Additionally, he teaches crisis management and develops controls and evaluates crisis management exercises for FBI field offices.

From 1993-2006, he was the Deputy Coordinator for Operations in the Office of Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State. During his tenure at the State Department, he oversaw the coordination of all operational aspects of U.S. counterterrorism response to international terrorist incidents. He was responsible for the conduct of Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST) deployment and readiness training, and also focused on developing policy and procedures surrounding the U.S. Government's response to international Weapons of Mass Destruction terrorism.

In 1993, he retired early from the United States Marine Corps as a Major to accept a civilian position with the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. Prior to his retirement, he served for over 15 years as an infantry officer (1st Marine Brigade and 2d Marine Division) and as an instructor of Officer Candidates, Lieutenants, and Captains, at the Marine Corps Combat Development Center, Quantico, Virginia. He is a decorated officer, having been awarded the Bronze Star with V for his actions as Assault Element Commander during a raid in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Praying Mantis (April 1988).

His last Marine Corps assignment (1992-1993) before joining the State Department was as a faculty advisor and Special Operations instructor at the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School.

From 1989-1991, Professor Hastings was detailed from the Marine Corps to the State Department Counterterrorism office. During those years and throughout his tenure at the State Department, he either deployed or supervised from Washington numerous terrorist and crisis incidents to include: the Higgins kidnapping and murder in Lebanon; the isolated Special Forces detachment during an FMLN offensive in San Salvador, El Salvador; the Aquino Coup attempt in Manila, Philippines, all in 1989; The kidnapping of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and its successful resolution in June 1990; The Kashmir hostage taking in July 1995; The Khobar Towers bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in June 1996; The kidnapping of American diplomats by the MRTA in Lima, Peru, in December 1996; The East African Embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam in August 1998; the Cole Bombing in Aden, Yemen in October 2000; The Burnham kidnappings in Basilan, Philippines in 2000-2001; and The World Trade Center bombings on September 11, 2001.

In 2002, he and personnel from his office provided eight months of support to the U.S. Ambassador in Yemen by providing a counterterrorism coordinator to his Country Team. Professor Hastings personally deployed to the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney and Athens and led the State Department’s counterterrorism support to the host government and U.S. Embassy. In all, he has traveled to 67 countries either as a Marine Officer or in support of the U.S. Government’s counterterrorism efforts.