New Threats and Secure Communication
Prague, September 21–22
New Threats and Secure Communication
Conference organized by the Prague Center for Transatlantic Relations, CEVRO Institute under the auspices of the US Embassy in Prague and Vít Rakušan, The First Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Minister of the Interior
Prague, September 21–22
The Russian aggression in Ukraine has dramatically changed the security situation in the world. Russia deliberately acts against stability in politics, the economy and society in democracies. China questions the international order. China and Russia coherently intend to weaken the influence and unity of the West. Confrontation and rivalry are gaining ground in the new spheres. The threat of confrontation has expanded to the cyber sphere and space. Economies, state administrations and ensuring citizens’ security are increasingly dependent on critical information infrastructure. Our enemies subject our critical infrastructure in cyberspace to attacks, seize crucial and sensitive information, and endanger the stability and functioning of our strategic information and communication systems.
The conference will target new security threats to critical infrastructure in different fields with a particular focus on digital and telecommunications. We will discuss connectivity as an essential requirement for national security and vulnerability to disruptions of communication infrastructure. Following best practices, we will also examine the practical solutions based on government and private sector cooperation. The expert workshops on Friday, September 22, will dive deeper into secure high-capacity critical communications infrastructure and discuss its cybersecurity, public procurement or Dedicated Networks for First Responders, Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR).
September 21
9:30 Welcome Remarks by
Vít Rakušan, The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Czech Republic
Bijan Sabet, US Ambassador to the Czech Republic
9:50 Keynote Remarks by Mircea Geoana, Deputy Secretary General, NATO (live stream)
10:10 Special Address by Dita Charanzová, Vice President of the European Parliament
10:25 Panel 1: New Security Threats,
moderated by Daniel Koštoval, Senior Fellow, PCTR
Tomáš Pojar, National Security Advisor, Czech Republic
Lt Gen Karel Řehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Czech Republic
TBD: NATO Representative
11:35–11:50 Coffee Break
11:50 Panel 2: Security Threats and Critical Infrastructure Resilience,
moderated by Lucie Kadlecová, PWC Czech Republic/PRCP
Lukáš Kintr, Director, The National Cyber and Information Security Agency, Czech Republic
Martin Durčák, Chairman of the Board of Directors, ČEPS a.s., Czech Republic
Martin Schieffer, Head of Unit Counter-Terrorism, European Commission, DG HOME
13:00–14:00 Buffet lunch
14:00 Panel 3: Connectivity as an Essential Requirement for National Security,
moderated by Michal Wojnar, PWC Czech Republic
Joseph M. Wassel, CEO, FirstNet Authority, US
Jorge Laurel, Chief, Enduring Security Framework, NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center, US
Col Radek Haratek, Commander of Information and Cyber Forces in the Czech Republic (tbc)
15:15-15:35 Coffee Break
15:35 Panel 4: Vulnerability to Disruptions of Communications Infrastructure, moderated by TBD
Lori J. Smith, fmr. Area Vice President, Public Sector & FirstNet, AT&T
Juraj Šedivý, CEO, CETIN Group
Pavel Hadrbolec, CFO, T-Mobile Czech Republic
17:00 Glass of wine
September 22
Expert workshops moderated by Bela Virag, Managing Partner, Head of Arthur D. Little Austria
9:00 Resilient, Secured Communications Infrastructure in a Modern Functional State
Jorge Laurel, Chief, Enduring Security Framework, NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center
Lori J. Smith, fmr. Area Vice President, Public Sector & FirstNet, AT&T
Soumen Ganguly, Partner, Altman Solon (online)
David Lund, BroadWay Coordinator, European Commission DG Home
Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency Representative (tbc)
10:00 Dedicated Networks for First Responders, Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR)
Jeff Bratcher, CTO FirstNet Authority, US
Robert Sloan, fmr. Chief Operating Officer, AT&T FirstNet, US (online)
Bohdan Urban, Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic
Max Brandt, Policy Officer Critical Communication, European Commission, DG HOME
11:00–11:20 Coffee Break
11:20–12:30 Public Procurement of Communications Infrastructure Services
Michael Berkholtz, Senior Manager, Technology Lifecycle Services, Office of Enterprise Technology Solutions, Information Technology Category (ITC) in GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (online)
Nicholas West, Acting Director, Office of GSA Acquisition Policy, Integrity & Workforce, Office of Government-wide Policy (online)
Jan Ďoubal, National Agency for Communication and Information Technologies, Czech Republic
