Education
Bachelor of Science in Electrical & Biomedical Engineering
Master of Science in International Relations
Activities & Affiliations
Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council
Rudy is a published photographer of landscapes, nature and indigenous peoples “RudyAphotography”.
He also runs a small non-profit “The Blessing Projects” established to help under-developed communities with education, clean water and schools
Rudolph Atallah
Lt. Colonel Rudolph Atallah, USAF (Ret.), is Chief Executive Officer of White Mountain Research Inc (WMR) — a service-disabled veteran owned company dedicated to understanding and mitigating complex global threats to human security. A native of Beirut, Lebanon and fluent in Arabic and French, Rudy’s 21-year career in the United States Air Force spanned from aviation and special operations to intelligence and counterterrorism.
Rudy currently oversees the evacuation and rescue of persecuted religious minorities in Northern Iraq and Syria. Over the past 7 years, he and his team have successfully relocated and supported more than 179,759 Christians and Yazidis displaced by conflict and rescued 645 victims from ISIS and AQ controlled territories. Through his own efforts, his team has also funded and rebuilt more than 250 Christian homes and provided temporary housing with other like-minded organizations to continue saving lives and resettling more persecuted families in the Middle East and around the world. In 2021, Rudy and his team rescued and relocated over 9,500 Afghans and saved 1273 Americans who were trapped under Taliban control. The Afghan refugees were moved to Gulf countries before he found permanent homes for them in Canada, Australia, Brazil, the US..
Regarded internationally for his ground truth insights on African and Middle East security matters, Rudy is a sought-after speaker and adviser on national security, counterterrorism, counter-piracy and cultural intelligence issues. He has been a featured guest on networks such as The Blaze TV, TBN, America First, Glenn Beck Radio Talk Show, Wall Builders, ABC, NBC, PBS, MSNBC, BBC and programs such as Out-Front with Erin Burnett, National Public Radio’s Diane Rehm Show, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, and on the National Geographic Channel, where he discussed his involvement in African counter-piracy and the successful resolution of the 2009 Maersk Alabama incident. He is also mentioned in several books like Hunting Le Roux by Elaine Shannon and Save Your Ammo by Louise Rasmussen.
Prior to his 2009 retirement, Rudy served as the Africa Counterterrorism Director and Morocco/Tunisia Country Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In 2002, while working as US Air Force Defense Attaché (DATT) in Ivory Coast, West Africa, Rudy was instrumental in the evacuation of more than 1,700 American citizens following a coup d’état that plunged the country into civil war. He was also an accredited Air Force DATT to Ghana, Benin, Togo, Niger and Burkina Faso. Rudy has over 25 military honors to include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for his direct involvement in the rescue of the Maersk Alabama’s Capt. Philips.
Over the past two decades, Rudy has traveled to more than 118 countries and he has met with 11 heads of state. He has advised two U.S. Secretaries of Defense and many other senior US officials on counterterrorism policies and strategies and has served as a trusted advisor to the Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State and numerous US embassies across Africa. Rudy assumed the position of Africa Counterterrorism Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2003 and was concurrently East Africa Director from 2003-2007. At the time of his retirement, he was the only Foreign Area Officer in the Air Force holding three concurrent regional specialization designations: Africa, Middle East, and Europe. He was a Senior fellow with Atlantic Council for 12 years and holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a Master of International Relations from Troy University. He is also a published photographer and showcases his art at the Brookover Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.