  The VERITAS array of four 12-m imaging atmospheric-Cherenkov telescopes began
full-scale operations in 2007, and is one of the world's most sensitive
detectors of astrophysical VHE (E>100 GeV) $\gamma$-rays. Observations of
active galactic nuclei (AGN) are a major focus of the VERITAS Collaboration,
and more than 60 AGN, primarily blazars, are known to emit VHE photons.
Approximately 3400 hours have been devoted to the VERITAS AGN observation
program and roughly 160 AGN are already observed with the array, in most cases
with the deepest VHE exposure to date. These observations have resulted in 34
detections, most of which are accompanied by contemporaneous, multi-wavelength
observations, enabling a more detailed study of the underlying jet-powered
processes. Recent highlights of the VERITAS AGN observation program, and the
collaboration's long-term AGN observation strategy, are presented.
