Event takes place on Wednesday (8), with free registration and live online streaming
In a challenging digital landscape that continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the Hemispheric Cyber Defense Conference 2023, which the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) is holding this Wednesday (8), promises to make an important contribution to the sector, based on the exploration of innovative strategies and the exchange of knowledge.
The theme of this edition, which will take place at IADB headquarters in Washington, United States, and will be broadcast live online, is “Strengthening Cyber Shields: Towards Hemispheric Cooperation in Digital Defense”. The aim is to promote development, opportunities and cooperation in the field of cyber security in the region.
In the following interview, the Head of the Technical Services Division of the Inter-American Defense Board, Captain Luciano Moraes de Oliveira, of the Brazilian Navy, tells Agência Marinha de Notícias (AgMN) the details of this and other actions of the IADB, as an entity of the Organization of American States (OAS), to leverage the sector.
AgMN: What are the objectives of this 2023 edition of the Hemispheric Cyber Defense Conference?
The Conference is part of the IADB’s Cyber Defense Program, basically supported by three pillars: networking, capacity building and conferences. The latter, in which the upcoming event is inserted, has the general objective of sharing new solutions, good practices and information about what is currently happening in the world in the area of cyber defense.
As a particular objective, the Conference works to foster hemispheric cooperation and develop alternatives for the creation of a future framework for cooperation in cyber defense, enabling the Member States of the OAS/JID system to build capacities in the sector and share good practices and lessons learned.
I encourage everyone not to miss the valuable opportunity to follow our Conference, acquiring new knowledge in this dynamic area of knowledge, which is evolving so rapidly.
I also invite you to visit the IADB’s website and learn more about the Cyber Defense program and the other activities carried out by the dedicated military personnel who work here. I know that publicizing all this work can make a decisive contribution to fostering trust and security in our hemisphere.
AgMN: Who will be the main participants at the Conference?
The agenda will include important topics related to hemispheric cooperation, a particular objective of our Conference. In addition to the opening address, which will be given by the Director of the IADB General Secretariat, Brazilian Air Force Brigadier Flávio Luiz de Oliveira Pinto, the event will include the participation of the Head of the Brazilian Cyber Defense Center; Brazilian Army General Luís Carlos Soares de Sousa; the Chief of Staff for Operations of the Canadian Cyber Forces; Colonel David Blanc; the Head of the Legislation Department of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), Dr. Agnes Kasper; the Manager of the Cyber Security Program of the OAS Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, Kerry-Ann Barret; as well as Alejandro Botter of Check Point, Wade Lance of SYNACK, and representatives of companies in the cyber security and defense sector. As the IADB’s Cyber Defense Advisor, I will also be leading a panel during the event.
AgMN: How can the Inter-American Defense Board contribute to the debate and advancement of such an important area on the current global agenda? How important is collaborative work between the Defense and Security Forces of the countries of the hemisphere?
This is a fundamental question. Cyberspace has no defined borders; it can be freely used by a variety of threat actors, without them being discovered and without, in most cases, being able to attribute the authorship of the attacks.
Cyberweapons evolve much faster than the defenses capable of countering them. These characteristics, among many others, make cyberspace an environment where cooperation – not only between the various critical sectors of a state and the entities that operate them (government, companies and academia), but between sovereign states – is essential in order to foster security and mutual trust in our region.
At all the events and training sessions I have attended since I arrived at the IADB, this word has undoubtedly been heard the most. The framework for cooperation that we intend to foster between IADB member states is aimed at building capacity and sharing information, with the aim of leveraging the cyber maturity of states and fostering hemispheric security and trust.
AgMN: The Inter-American Defense Board has developed several relevant partnerships in this field. Can you highlight some of them?
The Cyber Defense section seeks to participate in the various events and training sessions that take place in the IADB headquarters region, as well as the events held by the Member States, to which we are usually invited. In this way, we can keep up to date with best practices, learn about new products and solutions and, above all, increase our network of contacts, one of the pillars of the IADB’s Cyber Defense Program.
From our network of contacts, we can forge partnerships to offer courses and training, and for institutions and companies to provide us with speakers and important information, so that the IADB can operate as a great facilitator, capable of bringing together those who demand and those who can provide the solutions we want in the field of cyber security and defense.
Hemispheric Cyber Defense Conference 2023
Date: November 8th
Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Washington time)
Information and registration: cyberdefense.jid.org
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***