– Masks are encouraged but optional.
– Please make your best effort to social distance.
– Masks are available throughout the hotel.
– Off-site testing is available throughout the weekend.
– Hand sanitizer is available throughout the hotel.
Halifax International Security Forum invites subject experts with significant practical experience to volunteer their time throughout the summer months to discuss and debate ideas to be addressed head-on at Halifax in November. The guidance provided by the Agenda Working Group ensures that Halifax International Security Forum plays its part in shaping the coming year’s global security agenda.
Halifax International Security Forum is proud that the agenda presented to its participants each year is acutely relevant and reflects conversations that are happening in capitals around the world. In the cases where these issues are not yet top-of-mind for decision makers, Halifax International Security Forum is pleased to create those conversations that will gain attention and inspire international action.
Michael Auslin
Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Alyssa Ayres
George Washington University
Ian Brodie
University of Calgary
Rosa Brooks
Georgetown University Law Center
Shari Bryan
Aegean Strategies
Leslie Campbell
National Democratic Institute
Dean Fealk
DLA Piper
John Glenn
National Endowment for Democracy
Jerrold Green
Pacific Council on International Policy
Rachel Kleinfeld
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
François Lafond
French Expert, MDULS, Serbia
Dixon Osburn
Harvard Kennedy School
Roland Paris
University of Ottawa
Luis Rubio
Mexico-Evalua
Chris Sabatini
Chatham House
Paul Salem
Middle East Institute
Randy Scheunemann
HFX
Janice Stein
The Munk School, University of Toronto
Constanze Stelzenmüller
The Brookings Institution
Peter Van Praagh
HFX
Daniel Twining
International Republican Institute
Kurt Volker
BGR Group
Bruce Weinrod
Georgetown University
Halifax International Security Forum’s plenaries and news conferences are on the record to enable the world’s media to report on the work being done in Halifax.
Our Night Owl sessions on Friday, the Saturday night dinners, and Sunday morning breakfasts are designed to foster detailed discussions and exchanges. They are carried out under the Chatham House Rule.
Your participation in these events signals acceptance of the rule designed to increase frank and open discussion on issues and challenges that promote greater strategic cooperation among democracies.
The Chatham House Rule states that participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speakers, nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.
The rule has been in place and accepted internationally since 1927 as a system for holding debates and discussions on controversial topics. It is named after the headquarters of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, based at Chatham House, London.
Director, National Counterterrorism Center, United States
Director, Strategic Programmes, New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand
Film Director, Israel
President and Co-Founder, Stop Child Executions, Canada
Founder, Creative Destruction Lab, Canada
Director of the Cybersecurity Center, AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland
Affiliate Researcher, Russia and East European Studies, Oxford University, United Kingdom
Producer and Presenter, VOA Persian Service, Iran
Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Canadian Armed Forces, Canada
Secretary General, Organization of American States, Uruguay
Co-Founder and Director, Syria Civil Defence, Turkey
Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, Switzerland
Minister of National Defence, Department of National Defence, Canada
Chief of the General Staff, Polish Armed Forces, Poland
President, Free Russia Foundation, United States
Foreign Correspondent, CBC News, Canada
President, Boeing International, United Kingdom
Senior Advisor for Asia, HFX; Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, United States
Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense, United States
Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, United States
Director of the Office of Net Assessment, United States Department of Defense, United States
Member of Parliament, House of Commons, Canada
Executive Editor, Defense One, United States
Chair of the Military Committee, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Netherlands
Partner, Defence and Intelligence, Deloitte, Canada
Founder, United Help Ukraine, United States
Director; Member Global Due Diligence Program Senior Manager, Citi Security & Investigative Services; Colectivo de Análisis de la Seguridad con Democracia, Mexico
Associate Deputy Minister of National Defense, Canadian Department of National Defense, Canada
Chief of Branch Public Health, Federal Ministry of Defence (FMoD), Bundeswehr Medical Service, Germany
Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Canada Aerospace & Defence Association, Canada
Former Head of the School of Journalism, University of Regina, Canada
Former Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, Gambia
Deputy Minister of Defence, Ministry of Defence, Norway
Member of Parliament, German Bundestag, Germany
Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science, and Economic Development, Canada
Member of Parliament, House of Commons, Canada
Chairman Emeritus, Stimson Center, United States
Senator for Ontario, Senate of Canada, Canada
Deputy Policy Director, Netherlands Armed Forces, Netherlands
Senator for Ontario, Senate of Canada, Canada
Lawyer, Human Rights and Women's Rights Activist, Manaar Legal Consultancy, Algeria
J3 Expeditionary, Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC), Canadian Armed Forces, Canada
Deputy Editor, Foreign Affairs, United States
US Air Force Special Operations Command Director of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, United States Air Force, United States
Parliamentary Defence and Foreign Policy Reporter, CBC News, Canada
Global CEO, Ipsos Public Affairs, Canada
Managing Director, HFX, United States
Deputy Sector Commander, Sector Virginia, United States Coast Guard, United States
Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law and Policy, Georgetown University Law Center, United States
Founder and Partner, Aegean Strategies, United States
Finance officer, Aircraft Maintenance Department, France
Supreme Commander, Swedish Armed Forces, Sweden
Chairman, Çalik Holding , Turkey
Canadian Forces Intelligence, Command Assistant Chief of Staff Support, Royal Canadian Air Force, Canada
Senior Associate and Regional Director, Middle East and North Africa Programs, National Democratic Institute, Canada
Chief of Professional Conduct and Culture, Canadian Armed Forces, Canada
Managing Director, Jigsaw, United States
Consul General, United States Consulate General in Halifax, Nova Scotia, United States
President and CEO Halifax International Airport Authority; Canadian Airports Council, Canada
Senior Parliamentary Reporter, The Globe and Mail, Canada
President, Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Canada
President and CEO, Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), Canada
Chair, Global Public Affairs, Canada
Ambassador of the United States to Canada, United States Embassy to Canada, United States
Senator, Senate, France
Senior Presenter, BBC Radio and World Service, United Kingdom
Senator from Delaware, United States Senate, United States
United States Representative, Colorado’s 6th Congressional District,United States House of Representatives, United States
Senior Advisor, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy, United States
Member, Vice-Chair, European Parliament, France
Vice Chief of Defence Force, New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand
Special Projects Officer, NATO Allied Command Transformation, Ministery of Defence, Netherlands
Congressional Reporter, POLITICO, United States
Australian Defence Attache Tel Aviv, Royal Australian Air Force, Australia
Member of Parliament, House of Commons, Canada
Senior Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project, Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, United States
Director of Communications, HFX, Canada
Naval Air Base Commanding Officer, French Navy, France
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Legislative Affairs, US Department of State, United States
Researcher, Institute for the Study of War, United States
Acquisitions and Finance Advisor, OSD Office of Net Assessment, United States
Member of Parliament, House of Commons, Canada
Chief of Defence, Netherlands Armed Forces, Netherlands
Member, Royal College of Defense Studies, London-UK, Royal Netherlands Army, Netherlands
Director-General, Engagement, Department of National Defence, Canada
CEO, OYAK, Turkey
Ambassador to Canada, Finland, Finland
Director, Canada Office, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V., Germany
Author and Activist, The Association of Families of Flight PS752, Iran
Executive Director, The Public Interest Fellowship, United States
Chief of the Defence Staff, Canadian Armed Forces, Canada
Commandant, United States Coast Guard, United States
President, Aerospace Industries Association, United States
Executive Director, McCain Institute, United States
Managing Partner, DLA Piper; Chair, Global Strategy & Innovation, HFX, United States
Co-Founder and Chief Editor, StopFake, Ukraine
Former Foreign Service Officer, Political Aide to the Minister of National Defence; CGAI, CDAI, Network for Strategic Analysis on Defence and Security, Task Force Kanadahar, Canada
Executive Director, The Vandenberg Coalition, United States
Member of Parliament for Halifax, House of Commons, Canada
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for Dartmouth – Cole Harbour, House of Commons, Canada
Distinguished Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, Canada
Director, Corporate Affairs, ATCO Ltd, Canada
Executive Director, Hanns Seidel Foundation, Germany
Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine, Embassy of Canada in Ukraine, Canada
Public Safety’s Associate Deputy Minister, Government of Canada, Canada
Senator from New York, United States Senate, United States
Canada Bureau Chief, Associated Press, Canada
Senior Director at the International Forum for Democratic Studies, National Endowment for Democracy, United States
Editor-in-Chief Global Dispatches, UN Dispatch, United States
Doctoral Candidate / Public Speaker, Johns Hopkins SAIS, United States
Staff Reporter, Defense News, United States
4th President, Republic of Croatia (2015-2020), Croatia
Colonel (Ret.), United States Army, United States
Diplomatic Correspondent, Foreign Policy, United States
President and CEO, Pacific Council on International Policy, United States
Chief Executive Officer, Jigsaw, United States
CEO, MDA, Canada
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian American Business Council; Crestview Strategy, United States
Group Captain Recruitment and Selection, Royal Air Force, United Kingdom
President, Ukrainian World Congress, Canada
Co-Founder, The Line, Canada
Director, Military Centre of Aviation Medicine, Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic, Slovak Republic
President, Chris Hadfield Inc., Canada
Assistant Deputy Minister for Policy, Department of National Defence, Canada, Canada
Chair of the Board, Freedom House, United States
High Commissioner to Canada, New Zealand High Commission, New Zealand
Manager for Advanced Manufacturing and Business Services, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Canada
Vice-President and General Manager, CAE Defence and Security Canada, Canada
Journalist, Policy Analyst, Voice of America, United States
Commander of the Defence Forces, Estonian Defence Forces, Estonia
President and CEO, HIAS, United States
Ambassador of Canada to the United States, Embassy of Canada in the United States, Canada
Executive Director, NGO Institute Republika, Ukraine
Director for Gov’t Affairs, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, United States
Co-Founder, International Center for Ukrainian Victory, Ukraine
Event Director, HFX, United States
Director General, Department of North American Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan
Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security (Political Director), Global Affairs Canada, Canada
Strategic and Business Advisor, Ucore Rare Metals Inc, Canada
Professor, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Republic of Korea
Founder and CEO, Pro-Health International, Nigeria
Ambassador of Georgia to Canada, Republic of Georgia, Georgia
Pentagon Reporter, Breaking Defense, United States
President, World Uyghur Congress, Germany
Deputy Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
California's 53rd Congressional District, United States House of Representatives, United States
Chief of Joint Medical Department of Defence Staff, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuania
Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, US Department of State, United States
Minister of Defence, Ministry of Defence, Sweden
General Secretary, Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission, Taiwan
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Anti-Corruption Action Centre, International Centre for Ukrainian Victory, Ukraine
Professor, National Defense Academy of Japan and Vice President of Japan Forum on International Relations, Japan
Founder and CEO, Alethea, United States
President, Estonia
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Founder Women Journalists Without Chains, Yemen
Program Manager, Private Foundation, United States
National Security Adviser to the President of Latvia, Secretary National Security Council, Latvia
Global Security Reporter, Grid News, United States
Vice President of Public Policy, Amazon Web Services, United States
Commander, Royal Canadian Air Force, Canada
Member, The Bundestag, Germany
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, United States
National Liaison Representative to NATO ACT, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Norway
Honorary General Consul; Publisher, Consulate of Monaco in Turkey; Transatlantic Policy Quarterly, Turkey
Founding Partner and CEO, Horizon Capital, Ukraine
Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine
Mariupol Defender, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine
Commander, Medical Regiment No 1, German Armed Forces, Germany
Board Member, Atlantic Council of Georgia; The McCain Institute for International Leadership, Georgia
Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School; Partner, Elliott Kwok Levine & Jaroslaw LLP., United States
Diplomatic Editor, The Economist, United Kingdom
Vice President & Managing Director, UK, Ireland & Nordic Region, Boeing, United States
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Parliament of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom
President, ATCO Frontec, Canada
Chief of Executive Staff, Federal Ministry of Defence, Germany
Director, Public Affairs and Policy, CAE Canada, Canada
Research Assistant; Fellow, Hudson Institute; Forum for American Leadership, United States
Commander, RCAF Aerospace Warfare Center, Royal Canadian Air Force, Canada
Co-Founder and COO, Strider, United States
Co-Founder and CEO, Strider, United States
Deputy CEO, Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Taiwan
Branch Chief of Concepts and Capabilities (Research and Development) Plans and Capabilities Division, Danish Armed Forces, Denmark
Journalist, Independent, Canada
Member; European Policy Spokesman, Bundestag; Free Democratic Party, Germany
Executive Vice President; Senior Advisor (Non-resident), Korea Chair, Samsung Electronics Co; Center for Strategic and International Studies, United States
Commander, Sector Buffalo, United States Coast Guard, United States
Vice President, International Business Development, Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Global Services, United States
Co-founder and President; Former Deputy Foreign Minister, Heart of Asia Society, Afghanistan
Executive Director, Aman Lara, Canada
Strategic Advisor, Deloitte Canada, Canada
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, United States
Editor-in-Chief, National Defense Magazine, United States
Vice-President, Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Canada
Foreign Policy Program Director & Munk Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Canada
Director, Peace With Women Fellowship, HFX, United States
Filmmaker, Letter M
Former VP; Professor of Law Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (Comexi); Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico
Former Human Rights Minister;Consultant for YTJC . Member of the Technical Advisory Group / ( OSE ), Republic of Yemen; YTJC, Technical Advisory Group, Yemen
President and CEO, Maritime Launch Services Ltd., Canada
Deputy Minister of National Defence, Department of National Defence, Canada
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Parliament of Canada, Canada
Member; Parliamentary State Secretary for the Interior, Building, and Community, Bundestag, Germany
President, McCaffrey Enterprises, Canada
Regional Director, American Airlines, United States
Texas’s 10th Congressional District, United States House of Representatives, United States
Managing Director, Government and Public Services, Deloitte US, United States
Deputy Director for Commonwealth Integration, Defense Intelligence Agency, United States
Senior Fellow and Director, Smart Women, Smart Power, CSIS, United States
Defense Reporter, POLITICO, United States
Director, Fleet Logistics Australian Navy, Australia
Minister of Defense, Republic of Kosovo, Kosovo
UNHCR's L3 Evaluation Consultant, Cowater International, Afghanistan
Battalion Commander, Army Engineers Academy, Spanish Army, Spain
Managing Director, Merit House, Canada
Senior Advisor, Defense Policy Group, Ministry of National Defense, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuania
Founder and Director; Professor, International Relations; Analyst and Columnist, Mexico Research Center for Peace; Universidad Iberoamericana; El Universal, Mexico
Managing Editor, Voice of America, Georgia, United States
Executive Director, Samir Kassir Foundation, Lebanon
Chief Political Correspondent, The Saturday Paper, Australia
Economic Adviser; Expert, Free Russia Foundation, Russia
Senator, University of Calgary, Canada
Deputy Assistant Chief of Medical Staff, British Army, United Kingdom
Executive Director, Syrian Emergency Task Force, United States
Washington D.C. Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent, Televisa, Mexico
Director, Enterprise Development, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Canada
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Defense & Aerospace Report, United States
Senior Lieutenant, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine
Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE), Canada
Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada
Journalist,1+1, Ukraine
Chief of International Policy Planning Division Joint Staff Office, Ministry of Defence, Government of Japan, Japan
Founder & CEO, International Civil Society Action Network, United States
Director, NATO Policy, DND, Canada
Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, India
Member, House of Lords, United Kingdom
Deputy Head, Centre for Multilateralism Studies, Singapore
Co-founder of Charity Fund savED, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine (2019-2020), Ukraine
Desk Officer North Atlantic, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Germany
Senior Defense Correspondent, Covering Congress, POLITICO, United States
Deputy Director for Regional Policy, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, United States
Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security, Global Affairs Canada, Canada
Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Digital and New Media, Government of Nigeria, Nigeria
President and CEO, Center for International Policy, United States
Minister of Defence, Government of the Netherlands, Netherlands
Founder, Alpha Reach; Author, Digital: The New Code of Wealth, Nigeria
Executive Deputy Chairman, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Author, Mission Possible: The Story of Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, United States
Military Veteran and Volunteer Medic, Ukraine
Founder, President & CEO, META Materials, Inc., Canada
Director, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs University of Ottawa, Canada
Chief Information Security Officer, WELL Health Technologies, Canada
Commander of the Canadian Army, Department of National Defence, Canada
Commissioner of the Coast Guard, Canada
Operations Research Analyst, United States Space Force, United States
Distinguished Fellow, Africa Center; Former U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel & Great Lakes Regions of Africa, Atlantic Council, United States
The 5th President of Ukraine, Chairman of the European Solidarity Party of Ukraine, Government of Ukraine, Ukraine
CEO, Alpha Regnum Fund, United States
Ambassador to Canada, Embassy of Estonia, Ottawa, Estonia
Chief Operating Officer, CanArctic Inuit Networks Inc., Canada
Global Opinions Writer, The Washington Post, United States
Senator from Idaho , United States Senate, United States
Chair of the Board, CFFI Ventures Inc, Canada
Senior Advisor and Fellow, Canadian Global Affairs Institute, Canada
Director, National Security, Amazon Web Services, United States
Associate Chief, Communications Security Establishment, Canada
CEO, True Anomaly, United States
Government Relations Associate, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, United States
Distinguished Fellow, David Rockefeller Studies Program Council on Foreign Relations, United States
Senator from Nevada, United States Senate, United States
Senator from South Dakota, United States Senate, United States
Chairman; Former Chairman Mexico-Evalua; Mexican Council on Foreign Relations, Mexico
Senior Correspondent, The Capitol Forum, United States
Executive Director, Gas Power & Renewables, S&P Global Commodity Insights, United Kingdom
High Commissioner, Australian High Commission Canada, Australia
Fellow for Latin America, Chatham House, United States
President, Middle East Institute, United States
Lecturer on Law, Harvard Law School, Tibet
Chairman, European Belarus Foundation, Belarus
Former Member of Parliament; Co-Founder, Research Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Afghanistan
Minister of Defense, Republic of Slovenia, Slovenia
Consul General of Canada in San Francisco, United States, Global Affairs Canada, Canada
Executive Editor, Growth, POLITICO, United States
CEO, PlusOne; co-founder, Media Center Ukraine, Ukraine
Strategic Counselor, HFX; Vice Chairman, International Republican Institute, United States
Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent, PBS NewsHour, United States
Senior Director, Counter Extremism Project, Germany
Director, Disaster and Emergency Management, ATCO Frontec, Canada
Commandant, Armed Forces College; Deputy Chief, Training and Education Command Swiss Armed Forces, Switzerland
CEO, AfriCatalyst Global Development Advisory, Senegal
Senator from New Hampshire, United States Senate, United States
Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Canada