Security & Defense

Baltic Sea Security Conference 2021

The fourth international Baltic Sea Security Conference (BSSC) on October 5-6, 2021, organized by the Atlantic Council Northern Europe Office in cooperation with the Swedish Armed Forces, took place with a new 2021-2025 Swedish Total Defence strategy in place. The BSSC was thus a timely platform for representatives of the Nordic and Baltic states, Germany, […]

How a misguided Vietnam analogy sealed the Afghanistan disaster

By Paul D. Miller

During Afghanistan, the Vietnam analogy said a lot about the state of mind of those using it—a state of mind that ultimately led policymakers to make decisions based on a faulty view of the war.

Introduction: Cooperation on maritime cybersecurity

By William Loomis, Virpratap Vikram Singh, Dr. Gary C. Kessler, Dr. Xavier Bellekens

It is imperative to establish at the outset that there is no silver bullet for maritime cybersecurity. This report is intended to deliver a more complete and operational plan to better protect the MTS by focusing on building upon, broadening, and deepening the priorities put forward by the National Maritime Cyber Plan by focusing on three key principles: risks and standards, information and intelligence sharing, and creating a maritime cybersecurity workforce.

A system of systems: Cooperation on maritime cybersecurity

By William Loomis, Virpratap Vikram Singh, Dr. Gary C. Kessler, Dr. Xavier Bellekens

The MTS is not monolithic; it is a markedly complex “system of systems.” This section segments the MTS into three discrete systems—ships, ports, and cargo—each with its own life cycle, in order to highlight areas of risk and leverage for policy makers and the industry.

Recommendations: Cooperation on maritime cybersecurity

By William Loomis, Virpratap Vikram Singh, Dr. Gary C. Kessler, Dr. Xavier Bellekens

This report puts forward twelve recommendations—split into three overarching themes—to help better secure all subsystems of the MTS from evolving cyber threats.