From 11–15 September 2023, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted a Combating Transnational Threats Senior Executive Seminar (CTSES) titled “Emerging Security Platforms in the Digital Age” held in Washington, D.C.

Course Director David Des Roches during the welcome session.

The five-day seminar engaged 32 participants from 22 countries. Thirteen sessions began with speakers, followed by question-and-answer sessions with participants under Chatham House rules. Professor David Des Roches led the seminar, where leading experts in the field delivered lectures on the proliferation of technology and how its innovations pose a challenge to international security, especially in the Middle East and South Asia. The seminar explored platforms commonly connected to technological innovation, from autonomous vehicles to predictive modeling.

Kirsten Fontenrose (left) speaking during the final session and Dr. Richard Russell (right) moderating.

NESA Center expert speakers included David Lamm (Acting Director, NESA Center) and Dr. Richard Russell (Professor, NESA Center). Guest speakers included William Lawrence (Professor, American University), Dr. Jessica Anania (DPhil Candidate, University of Oxford), Dr. Tom Wingfield (Senior International/Defense Researcher, RAND Corporation), George Topic (Vice Director, Center for Joint & Strategic Logistics), Dr. Tom Karako (Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies), Norman Roule, Non-Resident Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Michael Eisenstadt (Director, TWI Military and Security Studies Program), Dr. Kristin Smith Diwan (Senior Resident Scholar, AGSIW), Joseph Weir, Director (CAE Defense & Security International Business Development), and Kirsten Fontenrose (President, Red Six International). Professor David Des Roches, Dr. Richard Russell, and Dr. Michael Sharnoff (Associate Professor, NESA Center) also moderated discussions.

Read about the previous CTSES from 27 February – 3 March 2023 focused on “Countering Narratives of Extremist Organizations: Managing Disinformation”

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