BISC – Conference : “Building Belgium’s cyber intelligence knowledge capacity”

December 2nd, 2014 – State Security, Brussels

Citizens, organizations and societies rely on cyber security in order to function. Today, we depend on computers to organize our professional work. Although we all benefit from technological progress, societies have never been so vulnerable as they are now.  Our economy, security, privacy… can easily be breached. This means we have to ensure a cyber security community whose strategies are constantly updated by new knowledge. Building appropriate cyber security capabilities requires information about cyber threats. It also requires knowledge on how to build accurate defense strategies. In order to detect threats and avoid false alerts, the process of cyber intelligence involves carefully assessing strategic and tactical considerations.

This conference will highlight the reasons why Belgium needs a cyber-intelligence capacity. We will also emphasize on experiences from national cyber security incidents and the major threats our country has to deal with. It is our pleasure to announce Sir David Omand, Professor at Kings College London, as our keynote speaker. Professor Omand is a specialist in the development of national security strategy and counter-terrorism, intelligence studies and the historical development of the UK intelligence community. He will discuss the role of intelligence in the digital age.

Program

Presidents: R. Libert, Director of Analysis (State Security) and Patrick Leroy, Plans & Policy, Division Security Intelligence (Military Intelligence & Security Service)

09h00:    Registration of the participants – welcome coffee

09h30:    Welcome by Mr. Guy Rapaille, president of the BISC (F)

09h40:    KEY NOTE SPEAKER: Professor Sir David OMAND, GCB, King’s College London (UK) – Intelligence in the digital age (E)

10h30:    Coffee break

11h00:    Why do we need a cyber-intelligence capacity? (E) – Mr Miguel Debruycker, Military Intelligence & Security Service

11h30:   Cyber awareness (N) – Prof. Dr. Ir Wim Mees, Royal Military Academy, Department of Communication, Information, Systems & Sensors (CISS)

12h10:    Lunch

13h30:  An academic initiative to enlarge the expertise and knowledge in cyber security for the civil community (F) – Mr Philippe Luyten,  President of Eurometropolitan E-Campus

14h00:  Cyber intelligence exchange in business environment – a battle for trust and data. Experiences of a cyber threat information exchange research project and the need for public private collaboration (E) – Mr Luc Beirens, Deloitte

14h30:   Coffee break

15h00:    Political intervention (N) 
Minister of Justice Mr. Koen Geens (to be confirmed)

15h30:   Discussion with Mr Jaak Raes (State Security), Lt-Gen Eddy Testelmans (ADIV/SGRS), Mr Luc Beirens (Deloitte), Mr Carl Lukalu (E-Campus), Professor Sir David OMAND, GCB
Moderated by Prof. dr. Marc Cools (Professor Free University of Brussels and Ghent University and director of BISC)

16h30:   Closing remarks and invitation to the drink (N)
Prof. dr. Marc Cools (Professor Free University of Brussels and Ghent University and director of BISC) 
 

Keynote Speaker:

Professor Sir David Omand is a Cambridge University graduate in economics, has an honorary Doctorate from Birmingham University and has completed a degree in Mathematics and Theoretical Physics with the Open University.He is a member of the editorial board of Intelligence and National Security. In the Department of War Studies, of King’s College London, he is co-responsible for delivering training to government intelligence analysts and lectures regularly to BA and MA level classes in intelligence studies.Sir David Omand was the first UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator, responsible to the Prime Minister for the professional health of the intelligence community, national counter-terrorism strategy and “homeland security”. He served for seven years on the Joint Intelligence Committee. He was Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ (the UK Sigint Agency). Previously, in the Ministry of Defence as Deputy Under Secretary of State for Policy, he was particularly concerned with long term strategy, with the British military contribution in restoring peace in the former Yugoslavia and the recasting of British nuclear deterrence policy at the end of the Cold war. He was Principal Private Secretary to the Defence Secretary during the Falklands conflict, and served for three years in NATO Brussels as UK Defence Counsellor. He has been a visiting Professor in the department of War Studies since 2005. Short cv of Sir David Omand.

Venue

Belgian State Security (VSSE)

North Gate I Building – Koning Albert II-laan 6 – 1000 Brussels

BISC members

Marc Cools, University of Ghent and Free University of Brussels
Emmanuel Debruyne, Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve
Frank Franceus, Standing Commitee I
Patrick Leroy, General Intelligence and Security Service
André Lemaître, University of Liège
Robin Libert, State Security 
Veerle Pashley, Ghent University
Maj Thierry Piette, School for Intelligence and Security
Jaak Raes, State Security
Guy Rapaille, Standing Commitee I
Maj Alain Segers, School for Intelligence and Security
David Stans, University of Liège
Lt-Gen Eddy Testelmans, General Intelligence and Security Service
Johan Truyens, Military Intelligence & Security Service
Alain Winants, State Security