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# Covert Contact 54: The Nice, France Attack: How Can Counterterrorism Evolve with the Threat
- URL: https://johnwlittle.com/the-nice-france-attack-how-can-counterterrorism-evolve-with-the-threat/
- Published: 2016-07-16T05:18:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-17T18:53:11.000Z
- Description: Patrick Skinner joins me to discuss how governments can adapt their counterterrorism thinking to identify and mitigate threats that are difficult to detect or prevent.
- Author: John Little
- Tags: Covert Contact, Podcast, Interviews, Intelligence, Terrorism, France, Patrick Skinner

In episode 54 I’m joined again by Patrick Skinner, Director of Special Projects for [The Soufan Group](http://soufangroup.com/?ref=johnwlittle.com). Patrick is a former CIA case officer, with a background in federal law enforcement, who specializes in counterterrorism issues. His background, and current work, allow him to look at these events from related, but different, perspectives. Our focus in this episode is on how governments should shift their thinking to better identify and mitigate that which is almost undetectable and unpreventable. It is an immensely challenging problem yet there are patterns that could inform the creation of a different model – a different approach.

You can follow Patrick on Twitter [@SkinnerPm](https://twitter.com/SkinnerPm?ref=johnwlittle.com).