This brief will examine the challenges academic researchers, educators and counter-terrorism (CT) practitioners face in working towards their shared purposes of combatting and preventing terrorism. Academic research and CT practitioners constitute two sides of the same coin; sharing a common general purpose, despite having different ends. This brief will draw on the framework developed by West & Campion to highlight the importance of education as an essential element in bridging the divide between the academics and practitioners and their contribution to the achievement of CT outcomes.
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About the Author
Kristy Milligan
Sgt Kristy Milligan VA (Ret) was a member of the New South Wales Police Force for 16 years until 2021. Kristy completed her Masters of Terrorism and Security Studies with Distinction through the Australian Graduate School of Policing, Charles Sturt University and will begin her PhD in 2022. Her PhD, with Victoria University, Melbourne, will focus on the evolution of symbolism in the XRW digital era. Her other areas of research include XRW idiosyncratic actors, including the Sovereign Citizen Movement, and symbolism in terrorist propaganda. Kristy has contributed to research on the exploitation of extremism during the Covid pandemic, and presented the paper’s findings to the 2021 AVERT symposium. She presented to CSU’s 2021 Threat Briefing series and the AFP’s CT Investigators Program, discussing the role of symbolism in terrorism and extremism. She is combining her operational and academic knowledge to create professional development programs on terrorism and extremism. Kristy is currently involved in the development of technology designed to aide law enforcement and government agencies in combating terrorism and extremism.
