At the time of the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, West Point's counterterrorism curriculum consisted of a single elective class."Yesterday's Developments at a Glance," The San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 February 2003 In order to fill this gap and provide greater educational resources in terrorism-related issues, the academy welcomed the creation of the Combating Terrorism Center and included it in its Department of Social Sciences on 20 February 2003. Though thus a part of the United States Military Academy, the CTC was established with private funding and is an independent research group. Primary funding for the founding of the CTC was contributed by Vincent Viola, a 1977 graduate of the United States Military Academy and former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange; significant initial support was also provided by Ross Perot, George Gilmore Jr. and Major (ret.) George Gilmore Sr. The center's first Distinguished Chair was General (Retired) Wayne Downing until his death in 2007. Ambassador Dell Dailey presently holds the Distinguished Chair. The current director, LTC(P) Sean Morrow, began his tenure in January 2021.
