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Dear Intelligence Professional: The security of the United States requires a multi-faceted response. While the governmental aspects of national security are often the primary focus of attention, the private and public infrastructure that underpins our society is of rapidly increasing importance. Since 9/11, potential threats (both physical and cyber) to our critical infrastructure including to the financial, transportation, and energy sectors have increased. As the foundation for addressing these growing threats, there is increasing attention being paid to information sharing among elements of the federal, state, local, tribal, and private sectors. As part of an ongoing series surveying issues of significance for the Intelligence Community, the AFCEA Fall Intelligence Symposium will focus on the Intelligence Community’s role in helping to defend the Nation’s critical infrastructure. Four focused sessions will address what is working, what is not working, and what is needed. The first session will set the stage and develop a common understanding of the importance and vulnerability of the U.S. critical infrastructure and the current state of information sharing among those dedicated to protecting it. The second session will focus specifically on the transportation and energy sectors. Session three will look at the vulnerability of the financial sector. In the final session, technologists and technology users will provide perspectives on technologies that hold promise for the nation's ability to protect its key assets. In addition, advanced techniques for modeling interaction between critical infrastructure sectors and application of those techniques to policy formulation and investment will be explored.
Enriching the four sessions will be featured speakers including The Honorable Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence; RADM Elizabeth Hight, USN, Vice Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency; Mr. Scott Large, Director, National Reconnaissance Office; Gen Gene Renuart, USAF, Commander, US Northern Command; and Mr. Ken Wainstein, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. In addition and as an optional lunch time presentation, Kevin T. Smith, one of the co-authors of Applied SOA, Service-Oriented Architecture and Design Strategies, will speak on "Protecting Our Nation’s Assets – Meeting the Challenges of Services Oriented Architecture Security." A free copy of the book will be available for those attending Mr. Smith's presentation. We hope you will join us in the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Chantilly, VA, on October 15-16, 2008, for this important dialogue.
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