2009 Keynote Information Coming Soon
2008 Campus Safety Conference Keynote
John Giduck
President, Archangel Group
Keynote Presentation: Beslan Terrorist School Siege
Archangel Group’s President, John Giduck, arrived at Beslan Middle School No. 1 in North Ossetia, Russia, at the conclusion of the battle by Russian Special Forces to retake the school. Drawing on 17 years experience traveling, working, attending university and training with the Russian Special Forces, John Giduck spent months investigating all aspects of the 2004 Beslan School tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of more than 300 people during at 10-hour battle. His Archangel Group was the only American entity to conduct an on-scene investigation of this tragedy, and Giduck's research included many interviews with Russian Special Forces, government officials, and Beslan townspeople. The results of Giduck's research are included in his book, "Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy with Lessons for America's Schools," which completely details the history leading up to this terrorist event, as well as aspects of the siege and the aftermath. During this seminar, Giduck will cover the terrorist planning process, how they collected intelligence for the assault, the defenses they deployed, and how negotiations ultimately failed and why. This seminar will also cover the government's plan in handling the Beslan School crisis, what went wrong and what was done right. Vulnerabilities of U.S. schools to this same type of assault and necessary changes in security to protect our children will be presented in detail.
John Giduck has a Bachelor's Degree from Penn State and a law degree from the University of Denver. He also earned a Master's Degree in International Affairs, specializing in Russian studies, from the University of Colorado, which included completion of the Russian Culture and Language Program at St. Petersburg State University in Russia. He has traveled extensively throughout Russia and the former Soviet Union, training with Russia's elite Special Forces units for more than 10 years. He is certified through the VITYAZ Special Forces Anti-Terror School to conduct anti-terror training and operations, and is a certified instructor in Russian Special Forces hand-to-hand combat.
Mr. Giduck has trained state and federal law enforcement officers and agents, including DEA, FBI, US Marshal's Service, and SWAT teams throughout the United States. He has served as a consultant on various international and terrorism subjects, as well as a defensive tactics and Russian Organized Crime instructor, for numerous federal agencies, and in the FBI National Academy continued training programs. He currently devotes his professional time to the Archangel Group, a non-profit agency providing anti-terrorism consulting and training to U.S. law enforcement, government and military, part of which includes Mr. Giduck serving as a Special Forces hand-to-hand combat and firearms instructor. As well, he holds several black belts, has been inducted into two international martial arts halls of fame, and is a former U.S. national weightlifting champion.
Mr. Giduck maintains membership in the American Society for Industrial Security, is active in assisting the Special Operations Association through Archangel, and is a lifetime executive member of the British SAS Professional Bodyguard Association. He is a graduate of the FBI Citizen's Academy and holds the highest level expert certification in Homeland Security through the American College of Forensic Examiners International, and is a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the American College of Homeland Security. In addition to other published materials and articles on terrorism, Russian organized crime and close quarters tactics, he has recently finished his book, Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy With Lessons for America’s Schools. Currently, Mr. Giduck is traveling the United States speaking and training America’s law enforcement and military on the Beslan School siege.
- Interview with Police Magazine editor David Griffith, September 2006.
- Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy With Lessons for America’s Schools, book review, TREXPO Advisory Board member Elliott E. Grollman, September 2006.
