by Miceál O’Hurley
DUBLIN – Thanks to the Sponsorship of Palo Alto Networks, the ‘World’s Leading Cyber Security Company’, and their Ireland Country Manager, Paul Donegan, Diplomacy in Ireland – The European Diplomat has assembled an impressive array of high-level experts to address the question of ‘National Readiness to Confront Cyberwarfare & Emerging Threats in Ireland, the European Union and Worldwide’.
The online webinar will stream on 20 December 2021 at: www.diplomacyireland.eu at 1600hrs (GMT)
Former Irish Army Officer, journalist, author and academic Declan Power will moderate the panel of experts including:
- Chuck Brooks – Georgetown University
- Nika Aleksejeva – Atlantic Council
- Joel Aleburu – Trend Micro
- Paul Donegan – Palo Alto Networks
Declan Power is an independent security and defence analyst, published author and former soldier. In addition to offering training on crisis/risk management and analytical techniques, he is delivers the Terrorism and International Security Studies course at City Colleges Dublin, a course he devised for a wide variety of security practitioners. He is also an Adjunct Teaching Fellow in Conflict, Security and Development at Trinity College Dublin. Prior to this Declan worked abroad extensively with the European Commission on projects involving counter-terrorism and violent extremism. In recent years he led on a successful joint Irish-Swiss government funded project to manage conflict and crisis in South Sudan. He was also a panelist on the 2015 White Paper on Defence. When not deployed, Declan provides analysis to both broadcast and print media on security and defence matters.
Chuck Brooks serves as Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University’s Graduate Applied Intelligence Program and the Graduate Cybersecurity Programs. He teaches courses on risk management, homeland security, and cybersecurity. Chuck has twice served as a Presidential appointee under two different Presidents. He also serves as a GovCon Expert, a globally recognised thought leader and subject matter expert on Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies. He is President of Brooks Consulting International, a government relations and marketing firm focused on cybersecurity and emerging technologies. Chuck has extensive experience and knowledge of the latest strategies, initiatives and challenges happening within the U.S. federal government, including the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), across all service branches of the U.S. military and industry.
Nika Aleksejeva is Lead Researcher for the Baltics at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) based in Latvia. Nika’s specific research interest is identifying, exposing and explaining disinformation on digital engagement spaces in the Baltic states and beyond. She has monitored Zapad 2017 military exercise and European elections in 2019. Nika comes from a journalism background – her work involved writing on business topics and making data-driven stories about energetics, global economic trends and education. Prior to joining NATO Stratcom COE she has been working with Infogram, a popular data visualization service.
Joel Aleburu is a Senior Security Engineer at Trend Micro. He is a recognized expert in the cyber security and warfare strategy community. Joel has extensive knowledge in specialized training of personnel, regulatory requirements, global risk and international security. Over the years, he has gained experience building and leading security practices protecting critical infrastructure in the public and private sectors. He is an experienced computer scientist with a primary focus on nation-state attacks and the protection of critical systems. He holds a masters degree in Cyber Security from the University of York and is a well-referenced and quoted speaker and writer. His work reflects his interest in the intersection of leadership, engineering, technology and innovation, particularly in theoretical state and cyber warfare defence and strategy.
