FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
16 November 2015

WASHINGTON, DC – Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris will be front-and-center as international defense and security leaders from around the world meet this weekend for the Halifax International Security Forum.

Canada’s new Minister of National Defence, The Honourable Harjit Singh Sajjan, will be hosting high-ranking delegates from 60 countries to this year’s Forum. Participants include The Honourable Kent Hehr, Canada’s Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence; Robert Work, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense; General John Vance, Canadian Chief of Defence Staff; and, Admiral Michael Rogers, Director of the U.S. National Security Agency.

“Canada’s new Defence Minister will play an active and important role at this year’s Forum,” said Peter Van Praagh, President of the Halifax International Security Forum. “Minister Sajjan’s tours of duty in Bosnia and Afghanistan give him an important perspective of the issues we will be discussing in Halifax, and participants from around the world are anxious to hear from him.”

“As the world reels from last week’s attacks in Paris, those events, as well as the downed Russian Metrojet over Sinai and recent bombings in Beirut, underline the importance of meeting annually to learn from each other,” added Van Praagh. “Halifax is where defense and security experts, together with democratic leaders meet to assess the challenges of the past year and set the agenda for dealing with the challenges for the year ahead.”

U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and John Barrasso (R-WY) will lead a bipartisan congressional delegation at the Forum.

Now in its seventh year, the Halifax International Security Forum is recognized as the world’s most significant gathering of democratic defense leaders committed to global security and prosperity. The three-day event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, begins on November 20th against the backdrop of many serious global security issues.

A full list of Halifax International Security Forum participants is available here.

The Halifax International Security Forum is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, DC. The Forum is made possible by the generous support from its partners, including the Government of Canada, and the Halifax Canada Club.

For more information, please contact:

Robin MacLachlan, Communications Team Lead, Halifax International Security Forum – (613) 294-6128.

For media inquiries or to register for accreditation to the Forum please contact communications@halifaxtheforum.org. Please direct other inquiries to info@halifaxtheforum.org.