Building a Secure, Reliable and Interoperable Global Telecommunication Infrastructure
Cyber security is a field in which multinational partnerships aren’t just desired but required. In the words of Dr. Sherif Hashem of the Egyptian National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority: “Nations cannot afford to wait until there is an international crisis to start collaborating on cyber security.”
With these words in mind, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) is once again hosting the Central Region Communications Conference (CRCC). The theme of the 2015 conference, scheduled for May 12-14 in Washington, D.C., is “Building a Secure, Reliable and Interoperable Global Telecommunication Infrastructure.”
The conference brings together an array of military, ministerial and private industry experts eager to share unique information. USCENTCOM has invited distinguished leaders in the field of information and communications technology from 12 countries of the central region: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
A special guest speaker this year is Google Vice President Vinton Cerf, widely acclaimed as one of the fathers of the Internet. The conference also includes a visit by U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler.
Participants in last year’s conference, also held in Washington, D.C., praised the event for providing a forum for networking and dialogue among international and interagency experts. As USCENTCOM Deputy Commander Vice Adm. Mark Fox noted after the 2014 conference: “You can surge people, planes and ships, but you can’t surge trust, you can’t fax a handshake, you can’t drink tea on a secure video teleconference. This is a human endeavor we share.”
CRCC 2015 is divided into two days of presentations, panels and round tables. The first day is focused on regional and private industry perspectives; the second day is focused more on the experiences of the United States in building a culture of cyber security. Discussions will include legal, regulatory and policy standards; national roles in devising cyber security strategies; regional cooperation in cyber security; national efforts to protect networks; and public-private collaboration.
In the hands of bad actors, a cyber weapon is relatively inexpensive, easy to use, sophisticated and potentially destructive. Military skills are important, but not sufficient, to prevent and deflect online threats. Government agencies, including defense departments, must forge alliances and partnerships with the private sector. For the past 30 years, the Internet has doubled in size roughly every 10 1/2 months, increasing the complexity of the task.
Regional cooperation is also critical. At CRCC 2014, a representative of IBM, the giant information technology company, noted that working with the Gulf Cooperation Council as a whole was often more productive than working with individual nations. A shared responsibility to protect the region’s vital oil and gas infrastructure has led to the formation of agencies such as the United Arab Emirates’ National Electronic Security Authority.
CRCC 2015 provides a valuable chance for regional leaders to share information and build cooperation in this vitally important but fast-changing field. As HRH Princess Aisha bint Al Hussein of Jordan announced during a visit to CRCC 2014: “There’s much that we can learn from each other.”