Kirk E. Oberfeld
Business Executives for National Security
The Trinity Building
111 Broadway
20th Floor
New Yor, NY 10006
Cell: (646) 379-2548
Phone: (212) 616-7087
Fax: (800) 898-9685
koberfeld@bens.org
Introduction
"We
are looking for like-minded business leaders interested in applying
their private sector experience to work with us on these issues.
Please join us in BENS to help our country sustain a strong, secure
America."
Ramon Marks
Partner, Dorsey & Whitney
Member,
BENS Metro New York
The
BENS New York office represents and supports over 120 members
within the Tri-State (NY, NJ, CT) area. A bi-partisan membership,
it includes corporate and business leaders from financial institutions,
law firms, information technology groups, and other industries.
BENS New York members have been the catalysts for many BENS initiatives,
hosting events focusing on improving intelligence capabilities
and tracking terrorist assets.
If
you have questions or would like additional information of any
kind, contact Kirk Oberfeld at (646) 379-2548 or
koberfeld@bens.org.
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Regional
Members
Tri-State (NY, NJ, CT) -based members include:
Lawerence
T. Babbio, Jr.
Vice-Chairman and President, Verizon Communications
Ralph
M. Bahna
President, Masterworks Development Corporation
Paul
F. Balser
Partner, Ironwood Partners, LLC
Robert
A. Belfer
President, Belco Oil & Gas Corporation
Raphael
Benaroya *
Chairman & CEO, United Retail Group, Inc.
Mary Boies *
President & CEO, Boies & McInnis, LLP
Denis Bovin *
Vice Chairman, Investment Banking, Bear Stearns & Co.
Peter W. Gaudet
Director, Credit Suisse Asset Management
Len
Harlan
President, Castle Harlan, Inc.
Steven
S. Honigman
Partner,
Fox Horan & Camerini, LLP
Stan
Johnson
Partner,
Loeb & Loeb, LLP
Dr.
Marvin King
President
and CEO, Riverside Research Institute
Michael Lipstein
President, Phoenix N/E Reality & Development Corp.
Dennis
Mehiel
Chairman & CEO, Sweetheart Cup Company
Steven Rattner
Managing Principal, Quadrangle Group LLC
Kent Swig *
Co-Chairman, Brown Harris Stevens, LLC Group
Andrew Tisch
Chairman, Management Committee, Loews Corporation
Robert Waggoner *
President & CEO, Burrelle's Information Services, Inc.
Josh Weston *
Honorary Chairman, Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
John Whitehead *
Chairman, AEA Investors, Inc.
Laurence Whittemore
Partner, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
Malcolm Wiener
Greenwich, CT
*Also
a member of the BENS Board of Directors
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2007 Regional Events
April
6
Rory Stewart, author of The Prince of the Marshes
spoke at a lunch with BENS members discussing his
experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.
2006 Regional Events
November 17
Michael Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force, spoke at
a lunch with BENS members
and discussed the challenges faced by his service.
October 20
Major General (Ret.) Giora Eiland, the former National
Security Advisor to Israel's Prime Minister, spoke to a group of
BENS members.
April
27
Visit to United States Military Academy at West Point. View
photo of the event here.
April
6
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly spoke at a lunch with BENS members
and discussed the challenges faced by his police force in the
nation's largest city.
February
3
Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general of Ft. Leavenworth,
will speak with BENS members during a breakfast time event.
Petraeus' previous assignment was to oversee training of Iraqi
security forces. He'll speak about those efforts and challenges
faced by the U.S. Army. What did he talk about. Learn here.
January
20
Maj.
Gen. Doug Lute, Chief
of Operations for U.S. Central Command, will speak with BENS
members during a breakfast time event. Central Command is responsible
for the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters. Read
what he said.
January
18
Our 2006 speakers series starts strong with a lunch event featuring
former CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin. He'll speak
about the future challenges for the U.S. intelligence community.
Read what he
said.
2005 Regional Events
November 3
BENS presented Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman with the
Eisenhower Award for his contributions to national security.
See who showed
up to honor Secretary Bodman.
October 12
During his visit
this BENS members in New Jersey, former former Governor Tom
Kean shared his experiences on the 9/11 Commission.
September 19
What did New York Congresswoman Sue Kelly say about
fighting the war on terror? Check it out here.
July 27
Lunchtime conversation with Col. Jack Jacobs, Congressional
Medal of Honor winner. Read
what he had to say.
May 27
Tour of USS Kennedy, 8:45 a.m.
Fleet Week. What did our members see? Find
out.
May 11
Breakfast with Major General Scott Gration, Director
of Strategy and Policy for U.S. European Command. Here
is what he told BENS members and guests.
May 3
BENS/Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
executive working group on the National Maritime Security Strategy
on Staten Island.
March 15
Breakfast with Graham Allison,
author, "Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable
Catastrophe." For a recap, click here.
January 25
Lunch with Jane Holl Lute
U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.
For a recap, click here.
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BENS Financial Tracking Group
In December 2000, BENS began exploring
ways to expand the “follow the money” concept used to combat organized
crime and drug trafficking to find terrorists and make it harder
for them to use our financial system to fund their operations.
In cooperation with law enforcement
agencies including the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
and the FBI Financial Review Group (FRG), BENS has held a series
of Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) working sessions throughout
the country. Attended by representatives from the financial community
and law enforcement, the sessions focused on improving the process
of SAR's both for the financial institutions and the government.
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BENS Intelligence Capabilities
Action Group (ICAG)
The ICAG was established in 1996
with a primary focus on understanding how the Intelligence Community
can prevent terrorist groups from attacking the United States
with chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction
(WMD).
In addition to regular meetings, the group has traveled to DC
for meetings on the Hill and with various intelligence agencies.
ICAG events have featured over 75 speakers, including George Tenet,
when he was Deputy Director of Central Intelligence.
The ICAG performed a congressionally-mandated cost/benefit analysis
of the CIA's In-Q-Tel Enterprise. It also was part of the team
that helped develop an action plan for the NSA's human resources
program at the behest of Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden, Director of
the NSA. ICAG also contributed to the comprehensive review of
U.S. Intelligence ordered by President Bush, the National Security
Presidential Directive (NSDP-5).
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