ASF 2012 speaker Ambassador Henry Crumpton worked for 24 years as an undercover officer in the CIA. He spoke with TODAY’s Matt Lauer and CBS News' "60 Minutes" Lara Logan about spearheading the hunt for Osama bin Laden after 9/11, pioneering the CIA's drone program, and other experiences described in his book, “The Art of Intelligence.”

Also featured in the 60 Minutes' segment is the former Director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center (and ASF 2012 speaker) Ambassador Cofer Black.

Clark Ervin, the Director of the Aspen Institute's Homeland Security Program recently wrote an article  for CNN's Security Clearance blog titled "Putting Terrorism in Perspective." Expounding on the necessity of putting "terrorism in perspective" in order to properly evaluate its still dangerous physical, psychological, and political effects, Mr. Ervin warns that the United States should remain attuned to the terrorist threat, despite that it no longer appears to pose a strategic threat to our national security, as "the odds remain in [the] terrorists' favor."

General Keith B. Alexander - the Director of the National Security Agency, Chief of the Central Security Service, and Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command - is confirmed to speak at the 2012 Aspen Security Forum this summer.

President Barack Obama's Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman - a speaker at this year's Aspen Security Forum - is set to visit Pakistan in the coming weeks to recommence talks with the Parliamentary Committee on National Security in Islamabad, now three months after Mr. Grossman was prohibited entry into Pakistan for diplomatic talks. 

Mr. Grossman's visit aims to help improve the fragile relationship between the United States and Pakistan. His visit is also meant to lay down the groundwork for diplomatic talks between U.S. Secretary fo State Hilary Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar later this year. 

The Aspen Institute is getting ready for three of its biggest summer events. First is the Aspen Environmental Forum, which will be held from June 22 until June 25 in Aspen, Colorado. The event, which is entering its fifth year as part of a aprtnership between the Aspen Institute and National Geographic, will address solutions for adapting to climate change.

Following the Environmental Forum is the Aspen Ideas Festival, which will take place June 27 through July 3, featuring Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, former Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and ABC News' Katie Couric.

Finally, the third annual Aspen Security Forum will take place July 25 through July 28. Confirmed speakers for the forum include Admiral William McRaven, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, and Transportation Security Administration Administrator John Pistole, among other security experts.