Our upcoming program on Wed 29 Sep (Zoom only) covers a topic that was in high demand from responses to our recent survey. Mr. Matt Devost, a lifelong black hat hacker and cyber genius, will join us from an undisclosed location in the National Capitol Region to discuss cyberwars, artificial intelligence, and what the battlespace for cyberwars looks like now and in the future.
Well, this has been a challenging painful week for our country. It is hard to believe that as we approach the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, we are watching the Taliban retake control in Afghanistan and the gains we thought we had achieved melt away. Many prayers go out to our friends and colleagues who are still in country. May they find safe passage soon.
As challenging as politics have become in the United States, nothing holds a candle to the tumult that Israel has been through over the last three years. With four elections proving indecisive and Benjamin Netanyahu being pushed out as Prime Minister in May, after 12 years at the helm, Israel is contending with internal upheaval at the same time as it navigates external challenges. Meanwhile Palestinian political paralysis and division persists, with long overdue Palestinian legislative elections scheduled then ultimately canceled at the eleventh hour, and Hamas and Fatah continuing their rift and divided rule.
Happy summer, NSF! Thank you very much for your patience as we organized and hosted a very successful Youth Security Forum (YSF) in late May. The event successfully engaged Washoe County School District students in discussion on a wide range of national security topics. Sarah Brown (WCSD, K-12 Social Studies Coordinator) sent a very kind thank you letter to NSF following the event. We are very grateful to our YSF sponsors who generously supported our effort to encourage a new generation of national security-informed citizenry.
When I asked our speaker, Neile Miller (MSTS, Senior Director for Business Operations and former NNSA Acting Administrator) what a shift in nuclear policy meant for the nuclear and other national security programs at the Nevada National Security Site, I heard her pause just long enough to grab her White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) hat off the shelf.
