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2016 Halifax International Security Forum

2016 Halifax International Security Forum

Date
November 18-20, 2016
Location
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Participants
300

Agenda & Speakers

Friday, November 18
Saturday, November 19
Sunday, November 20

7:00

5K Run With Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan

LOCATION: Westin Lobby

5K In Pictures

9:00-10:15

Breakfast Sessions

Are We All Being Served?: Women and the Importance of Being Inclusive
LOCATION: Tradewinds

SPEAKERS:

  • Minister Rona Ambrose, Leader of the Opposition, House of Commons, Canada
  • Ms. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Kurdistan Regional Government Representative in the United States, Kurdistan Regional Government
  • Ms. Jacqueline O’Neill, Director, The Institute for Inclusive Security
  • General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, Canadian Armed Forces
    MODERATOR: Ms. Ira Trivedi, Author

 

The New Battlefield: Where Is It? 
LOCATION: Harbour B

SPEAKERS:

  • General Herbert McMaster, Director, Army Capabilities Integration Center and Deputy Commanding General, Futures, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
  • General Denis Mercier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • Minister Tomasz Szatkowski, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of National Defence of Poland
  • MODERATOR: Ambassador Kurt Volker, Executive Director, The McCain Institute for International Leadership

 

Refugees Passing Borders, Nations Passing the Buck
LOCATION: Atlantic Ballroom

SPEAKERS:

  • Ms. Christine Beerli, Vice President, International Committee of the Red Cross, Switzerland
  • Mr. Mark Hetfield, President and CEO, HIAS, United States
  • The Hon. Zoran Jolevski, Minister of Defense, The Republic of Macedonia
  • MODERATOR: Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

10:30-11:45

Plenary 7: Spies Love Us: Protecting Information in the Age of Openness On the record

Speakers

Washington Editor-at-Large, The Atlantic
Moderator
Mr. Steve Clemons

Mr. Steve Clemons

Steve Clemons is Editor at Large of The Atlantic, a political and foreign affairs contributor to MSNBC, and publisher of the popular political blog, The Washington Note.  He is also Founder and Senior Fellow of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation.  Before helping to launch the New America Foundation, Clemons served as Executive Vice President of the Economic Strategy Institute; was Senior International Affairs & Economic Policy Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM); and served as the founding Executive Director of the Nixon Center.  Clemons also serves on the board of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College, a liberal arts school founded in 1782 in part by George Washington.

Chief, Communications Security Establishment, Canada
Ms. Greta Bossenmaier

Ms. Greta Bossenmaier

Ms. Greta Bossenmaier was appointed Chief, Communications Security Establishment effective February 9, 2015. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Bossenmaier held a variety of senior positions in the federal government including: Deputy Minister of the Afghanistan Task Force in the Privy Council Office; Senior Associate Deputy Minister of International Development and Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development; and Executive Vice-President and the Vice-President of Innovation, Science and Technology at the Canada Border Services Agency. Ms. Bossenmaier began her career in the Canadian public service as a Defence Scientist in the Department of National Defence. She then accepted an international assignment with the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Bossenmaier holds a Master of Science degree in Operational Research from Stanford University in California and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Manitoba.

DCMG, Chairman, Cyber Security Advisory Panel to the Bank of England, House of Lords
Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones

Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones

Rt Hon Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG (Pauline) is a Conservative peer in the UK House of Lords. Currently she chairs a panel advising the Bank of England on cyber security, is a member of the Lords Science and Technology Committee and of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. She was David Cameron’s National Security Adviser before he became Prime Minister and in his coalition government she was Minister for Security and Counter Terrorism and a member of the National Security Council 2010-2011. She was then the Prime Minister’s Special Representative to business for cyber security until 2014. She was a member of the UK Diplomatic Service from 1963 to 1996 including being Chairman of the UK Joint Intelligence Committee and deputy secretary to the Cabinet.   After leaving government she was chairman of the defence technology company QinetiQ, has been a Governor of the BBC and a member of the Councils of City and Oxford Universities and is currently on Lancaster University Council.

United States Navy and Commander, United States Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service
Admiral Michael Rogers

Admiral Michael Rogers

Admiral Mike Rogers assumed his present duties as Commander, US Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service in April 2014. Since becoming a flag officer in 2007, Rogers served as the Director for Intelligence for both the Joint Chiefs of Staff and US Pacific Command, and most recently as Commander, US Fleet Cyber Command/US TENTH Fleet. His joint and naval service both afloat and ashore has been extensive to include service on a numbered fleet staff, carrier strike group, and various Naval Security Group elements. Rogers is a native of Chicago and attended Auburn University, graduating in 1981 and receiving his commission via the Navy ROTC. He is also a graduate of the National War College and the Naval War College, holding a Master of Science in National Security Strategy.

Executive Director, Institute for National Security Studies
General Amos Yadlin (Ret.)

General Amos Yadlin (Ret.)

The first plenary of Day Three opened with a recognition of how significant it was that cyber security made it on the Forum’s agenda. The discussion focused on the need for critical and flexible infrastructure to address current security challenges, particularly those involving new cyber threats. Panelists agreed that we are moving into a world of artificial intelligence, where our increasingly interconnected society will require more and more security. Cyber threats involve a variety of state and non-state actors. This is why solutions need to be implemented through joint partnerships between the government and the private sector. At the end of the session, speakers reminded the audience that there is no one-size fits all approach to curbing cyber threats. We should aim for resilience, as opposed to achieving perfect security.

“Privacy as we know it is gone.”

— General Amos Yadlin

“You don’t have to be a great expert to become a successful penetrator of the system.”

— Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones DCMG

“The whole challenge of cyber security is about to get a whole lot harder because of quantum computing.”

— Ms. Greta Bossenmaier

“Just because someone comes at us with cyber does not mean we have to respond in kind. We have to play to the strengths of our nation and those of our friends and allies.”

— Admiral Michael Rogers

“The essence of good classification is keep it to a minimum.”

— Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones DCMG

“The press has an incredibly important role … it has stood us in good stead. Is it challenging at times? Heck ya.”

— Admiral Michael Rogers

11:45-12:15

Coffee Break

12:15-13:00

Plenary 8
: Return of the Nation State On the record

Speakers

Author, Journalist, and Founder, LeadersLink
Moderator
Ms. Kathleen Koch

Ms. Kathleen Koch

Ms. Kathleen Koch has attended the Forum since 2011 as a Washington-based author, speaker, moderator, freelance journalist, and founder and executive director of LeadersLink, the first non-profit to harness and share elected officials’ disaster lessons learned to help communities better prevent, prepare for, and recover from similar crises. Koch developed her expertise while covering numerous disasters for CNN including Hurricane Katrina. She anchored two prize-winning documentaries on the recovery of her hometown, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and recorded its journey in a best-selling book, Rising from Katrina, which was named Best Non-fiction in the Southeast Region in the 2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards. For 18 years, Koch was a CNN Washington correspondent specializing in aviation reporting and covering the Pentagon, White House, and Capitol Hill where she received multiple awards including the Peabody. Koch currently writes op-eds for publications including CNN.com, USA Today, and U.S. News & World Report.

Head of Foreign Relations Department, Kurdistan Regional Government
H.E. Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir

H.E. Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir

Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Dr. Eliot Cohen

Dr. Eliot Cohen

Eliot A. Cohen is Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and founding director of the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies there.   His books include Conquered into Liberty: Two Centuries of Battles Along the Great Warpath that made the American Way of War (2011), Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime (2002), and (with John Gooch) Military Misfortunes:  The Anatomy of Failure in War (1990). His next book, The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force will be published by Basic Books in January 2017. His public service includes, most recently, two years as Counselor of the Department of State from 2007 to 2009. He is a co-founder of the John Hay Initiative, a network of conservative foreign experts. He can be followed on Twitter @EliotACohen.

Former Prime Minister of Russia, Political Leader of People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS), People’s Freedom Party of Russia
H.E. Mikhail Kasyanov

H.E. Mikhail Kasyanov

Mikhail Kasyanov, Prime Minister of Russia in 2000-2004, is one of Russia’s democratic opposition leaders, Political Leader of the People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS). The party has been initiating massive protests against lawlessness, corruption and Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. As Prime Minister, Kasyanov’s cabinet launched comprehensive structural reforms and implemented systemic transformation measures. During that period the economy and people’s income grew by one third while oil prices were at the level of $20-25 per barrel. Kasyanov was a candidate for president in 2008, but was denied participation on political grounds. In 2006 and 2007 Kasyanov initiated and led Marches of Dissenters, the first large protests against anti-democratic drift in Russia. Prior to serving as Prime Minister, Kasyanov served as Finance Minister, Deputy Finance Minister. His time as Finance Minister saw Russia’s first non-deficit budget.

Former Minister of Defense, Israel
The Hon. Moshe Ya’alon

The Hon. Moshe Ya’alon

Defence Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon was born and raised in Kiryat, Chaim, near the city of Haifa. The Yom Kippur War was a turning point in the life of Minister Ya’alon, who decided to return to active service as a professional soldier. Following his studies at the British Staff Collage, he served in various appointments, most notably as a Colonel of Sayeret Matkal and Brigadier General of Judea and Samaria Division. In 1998, he was appointed OC of the Central Command, and in 2002 was appointed as IDF’s Chief of the General Staff, where he led ‘Operation Defensive Shield.’ Minister Ya’alon has held various academic appointments, as a research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a senior fellow at the ‘Shalem Center’ in Jerusalem, and a chairman of the Center for Jewish Identity and Culture, ‘Beit Morasha. After the 2009 elections, he was appointed as Minister for Strategic Affairs and Vice Prime Minister. In 2013, he was appointed as the Defense Minister of the State of Israel.

Moderator Kathleen Koch opened the final plenary session by posing a question about the recent rise of nationalist feelings and what it means for the rest of the world. Are countries beginning to turn inward? The debate focused on ways to achieve a balance between the need for national self-determination and the creation of state institutions. It is also vital to ensure good governance, regardless of geography. Speakers made a theoretical distinction between characteristics of patriotism and nationalism. They then applied that theory to case studies such as Russia, the United States, Israel, and Kurdistan.

“We have to be careful about the assumption that there are things that have always existed called nations. We also should be careful about the assumption that every nation should necessarily have their own state.”

— Dr. Eliot Cohen

“Patriotism is not nationalism.”

— Dr. Eliot Cohen

“You can’t just make democracy by toppling tyrannical regimes and holding elections.”

— The Hon. Moshe Ya'alon

“After the Mosul operations, this process will start.” – on Kurdish independence negotiations with Iraq

— H.E. Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir

“The bad manner of nationalism is mobilizing the people against someone else.”

— The Hon. Moshe Ya’alon

13:30-14:30

Closing Lunch

LOCATION: Atlantic Ballroom

Closing Press Conference

WATCH: The Hon. Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s Defence Minister and President Peter Van Praagh deliver remarks to the press to close the 2016 Halifax International Security Forum.

https://www.facebook.com/Halifaxtheforum/videos/vb.217717424959003/1262311540499581/?type=2&theater

Clippings

McCain warns Trump on torture, waterboarding
Michael Crowley

“Republican Sen. John McCain issued a fiery warning to President-elect Donald Trump on the subject of torture Saturday. “I don’t give a damn what the president of the United States wants to do. We will not waterboard,” McCain told an audience at the annual Halifax International Security Forum. ‘We will not torture people … It doesn’t work.’”

Ukraine Vice PM: Less US Support Dangerous to Region’s Stability
Jen Judson

“This equilibrium, if it is ruined, then it could actually lead to drastic consequences in other parts of the world,” Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the vice prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, told Defense News in an interview Saturday at the Halifax International Security Forum.”

McCain warns Trump on waterboarding
Mallory Shelbourne

“Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) pushed back on President-elect Donald Trump’s past praise for waterboarding Saturday, maintaining that the U.S. wouldn’t use it as an interrogation tactic. ‘I don’t give a damn what the president of the United States wants to do … we will not waterboard,’ McCain said at the Halifax International Security Forum, according to reporters.”

Opposing views on Donald Trump take main stage at Halifax security conference
Michael Tutton

“Views differed sharply on the impact of Donald Trump’s presidency on issues from trade to historic alliances during the second day of an international gathering seized by what-if scenarios regarding the incoming U.S. administration. The Halifax International Security Forum is the first major international gathering of policy analysts, American and foreign politicians, and defence ministers since Trump won the U.S. election.”

McCain Reiterates Plan For Syria As Trump Plan Remains Unknown
Jen Judson

“Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., reiterated his plan for Syria at the Halifax International Security Forum Saturday, which includes establishing a no-fly zone and putting US boots on the ground at a time when US President-elect Donald Trump’s plan remains unknown or non-existent.”

Generals sound alarm over climate change
Fram Dinshaw

“Top-ranking military officers are warning that climate change could severely impact global security as sea levels rise and prolonged droughts grip poorer nations. Speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday, Dutch General Tom Middendorp warned that climate change is fuelling war worldwide.”

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