Sukumar Basu: Master of Strategic Intelligence

United Nations security operations officer Sukumar Basu is committed to making countries safer — especially those in transition. The AMU graduate already has an impressive list of accomplishments.

Sukumar, based in Afghanistan, was a U.N. development program parliament security advisor when the country’s legislature was established. He was a U.N. security liaison officer during Afghanistan’s first presidential and parliamentary elections. Basu had also worked in Nepal, his home country, as a U.S. Embassy chief of special security and senior security investigator. And, he was a police officer for 15 years, focusing on counterterrorism operations.

What does a degree offer him at this stage in his career?

“Everyday, I juggle the demands of two giant communities — the international community and the Afghan community,” says Basu, who recently received his master’s degree in strategic intelligence. “AMU has better prepared me for this challenge by sharpening my analytical skills. Its online format also meant I could gain the knowledge I needed, regardless of where I am in the world.”

AMU’s strategic intelligence degree program includes courses in counterintelligence, regional threat analysis, competitive intelligence and more. What’s more, professors are standouts in their field.

Professor Jonathan Lockwood, for instance, is an internationally recognized intelligence analyst. He even has developed his own intelligence method, the Lockwood Analytical Method for Prediction. Several countries use this method, and it is taught in U.S. intelligence programs. “Professor Lockwood’s insights have been invaluable,” Basu says. “I apply the knowledge I’ve gained everyday on the job.”

Basu says his studies at AMU have already helped him advance. He hopes to earn a senior position within the U.N. department of safety and security or work as a terrorism prevention expert with the office on drugs and crimes. “[Studying at] AMU kept me mentally fit,” says Basu. “I’m now better able to succeed in this world of strategic surprises.”

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