William & Mary, NATO Defence Center of Excellence to Host Public Conference

The virtual NATO Cyber Defence: A Decade of Opportunities and Challenges is open to the public, and hosted in conjunction with William & Mary, NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) and King’s College London, on April 16. –By Brian Hurlburt, Founder and Host, Magnifying Excellence Podcast.

This is the official sideline event of the NATO Cyber Defence Pledge Conference, which convenes on April 15, 2021. “NATO Cyber Defence: A Decade of Opportunities and Challenges” is open to the public and will be live streamed at NATO CCDCOE’s YouTube page from 8:00 am until 10:00 EDT. Individuals wishing to register and actively participate in the Q&A may do so here.

Some of the topics include: How does NATO use the opportunities from Artificial Intelligence and automation for enchasing cyber defence, and how do sovereign voluntary cyber capabilities fit into collective defence and deterrence? Are Allies prepared mitigating serious supply chain security attacks such as not-Petya and SolarWinds, and how risk mitigation frameworks and standards could alleviate 5G security concerns amid the great power competition with China?

The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) is a NATO-accredited cyber efence hub focusing on research, training and exercises. It represents a community of 29 nations providing a 360-degree look at cyber defence, with expertise in technology, strategy, operations and law. The heart of the Centre is a diverse group of international experts from military, government, academia and industry backgrounds.

At NATO’s Warsaw Summit in July 2016, Allied Heads of State and Government reaffirmed NATO’s defensive mandate and recognised cyberspace as a domain of operations in which NATO must defend itself as effectively as it does in the air, on land and at sea. This improved NATO’s ability to protect and conduct its missions and operations.
Allies also committed through a Cyber Defence Pledge to enhancing the cyber defences of their national networks and infrastructures, as a matter of priority. Each Ally will honour its responsibility to improve its resilience and ability to respond quickly and effectively to cyber attacks, including as part of hybrid campaigns.

Stephen E. Hanson, William & Mary’s Vice Provost for International Affairs, will open the event with introductory remarks, followed by welcoming remarks from Douglas Jones, Chargé d’Affaires ad Interim at the U.S. Mission to NATO.