Speech and book reviews, expert interviews and news you can use on cyber-security, U.S. national security and global security matters from Lisa Bernard, President of Lisa Bernard's SecuritySpeak, LLC - a private consulting firm and speakers bureau.
The use of nerve agents against Russians-turned-citizens-of-democracies touches me personally. In the mid-1980s, I served as the first Russian-speaking staff member and first Program Director at The Jamestown Foundation which worked to acculturate high-ranking Soviet and East European defectors into American society after their C.I.A debriefings. I was the point person for these brave men and women who lived under death sentences from the former USSR working to bring their insights to academics, policymakers, the press and concerned citizens by bringing forward their books, speeches, media appearances and Congressional testimonies. As well, I worked with them to become United States citizens and live as openly and productively in our free society as possible for their circumstances and the realities of the Cold War. We lost not one. Now, at least in Europe, citizenship in a democracy is no longer an understood "hands off" to Russian operatives. And the assassination methods are grotesque. For the bigger picture of Putin's mob boss methods and crime syndicates, the following is a must read from Dr. Stephen J. Blank:
Lisa Bernard is the President of SecuritySpeak, LLC, a consulting firm devoted to matters of security and crisis management. Experts in these areas offer briefings, talks and distinguished lectures to audiences of all types working to bring analyses and understanding of security matters to people in all walks of life. (203) 293-4741. www.SecuritySpeak.net.
Like many of you, I am deluged today by memories of September 11, 2001. All my telephones ringing at once. Neighborhood schools on lockdown. Huddling on the couch with my family as we watched hours of mind-blowing and life-altering events unfold on television. On television. 9/11 happened before the advent and ubiquity of social media. It was pre-Facebook, pre-Twitter, pre-Instagram.
Today, emergencies, crises and disasters - manmade or natural - occur with a panoply of media available to interlopers and bystanders. Without a plan for media management and rules set forth by an organization's leadership well in advance, social media may interfere with or complicate life-saving efforts. I share the wisdom of Bo Mitchell, President of 911 Consulting:
911 Consulting is the nation's leader in emergency planning and training for workplaces. Founder and President Bo Mitchell, CEM, CPP, CBCP, CAS, CSI-ML, HSEEP, MOAB, CHCM, CHSP, CHS-V, CSSM, CSHM, CFC, CIPS, CSC, CESCO, IAC, TFCT3, CERT, CMC, CHEP, served as Police Commissioner of Wilton, Connecticut for sixteen years. He retired in 2001 to establish 911 Consulting with the mission to protect people at their workplaces during emergencies.
On the heels of the terrorist attack in London and the excellent piece, Think Before You Tweet in the Wake of an Attack at www.Wired.com, the words of Bo Mitchell, President of 911 Consulting and Former Police Commissioner in Wilton, Connecticut, are echoing in my head. If you manage a facility, department or business, or if you work or recreate in one, his counsel will resonate with you and may well help you save your own life and the lives of others in an active shooter scenario, terrorist attack or natural disaster. Here is an excerpt of my recent interview with him:
The weather was just the first treat on July 19th
when I arrived in Washington, D.C., at the Capitol Hill Club on that cool, dry
and sunny morning to hear Dr. Stephen J. Blank deliver an address, Russia’s Global Probes. Like a luxury cruise ship, Dr. Blank navigated
his remarks with expert engineering, using sophisticated instruments that work
below deck to produce a smooth sail and memorable journey. His talk docked in three parts of the globe –
Latin America, the Middle East and Europe.In each port of Russian activity,
he delivered his audience reality-checks on Russian history in the region, Vladimir
Putin’s objectives, Russia’s intrinsic nature, and the problems for U.S.
national security with projecting American values into the interpretation of Russia’s undertakings. With the temporal breadth of a skilled
historian of Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet affairs, Dr. Blank portrayed a crisp
yet comprehensive snapshot of the world today through the Russian lens.He deftly decoded Russian behavior and Vladimir
Putin’s positions, leaving his listeners sobered and empowered with a ready frame
of reference for understanding and interpreting Russian diplomatic, information,
military and economic operations.
Dr. Blank and I then returned to his office at the American
Foreign Policy Council for an interview. His generosity continued. A former professor of Russian National Security
Studies and U.S. National Security Affairs at the Strategic Studies Institute
of the US Army War College, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work informally
as if my viewers were students there with him in his private office hours.Here are excerpts.
BERNARD: I heard U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry assert that "nowhere is there a greater hotbed or incubator for these terrorists than in Syria," as he wrapped up meetings in Moscow with Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov exploring U.S.-Russian cooperation to end the five-year civil war there. Reports are conflicting about the outcome of their talks and the possibility at all for military cooperation and intelligence-sharing. As an old Cold Warrior, it's not my first instinct to imagine us "sharing" intelligence with the Russians or "cooperating" militarily. Yet, the Syrian situation is compelling. What's your take on all this?
BERNARD: My clients at SecuritySpeak include global investors, businesspeople and entrepreneurs. Some are exploring markets and opportunities in the energy and other resource-rich regions of the former USSR. How stable is Central Asia today?
BERNARD: My clients at SecuritySpeak are concerned about threats like North Korean missile strikes and cyber-attacks. What do you see as the Russian role in these scenarios?
BERNARD: In four months, we Americans will elect ourselves a new President and Commander-in-Chief. What frame of reference can you offer him or her for advancing American and global security interests?
BERNARD: Thank you, Steve, for your insights, time and energy. I know you have an interview with Romanian TV journalists at noon and you're only just back from delivering a master class in Brussels last week. It was a pleasure attending your address this morning at the Capitol Hill Club and speaking with you here now.
To arrange a presentation by Dr. Blank for your firm, association or university, contact Lisa Bernard's SecuritySpeak, LLC at 203.293.4741 or LisaBernard@SecuritySpeak.net.
Sunday, the 12th of June, was surreal.I was outdoors in the fresh air and morning
sunshine readingHoly War on the
Home Front: The Secret Islamic Terror Network in the United States in
preparation for my interview with its author, Dr. Harvey Wolf Kushner, Director
of the Homeland Security and Terrorism Institute at LIU Post. When I left for work early that morning I had heard
about "a shooting" in Orlando. By
lunchtime, I learned that the attack was at an LGBTQ nightclub, had been
declared an act of terrorism and the death toll was climbing. News outlets reported that the terrorist
declared his allegiance to ISIS at the outset of his rampage. My heart was racing as I tried frantically to
recall where my gay family members said they would be over the weekend.There were more ironies than I could
process, including that I left this book for last in my reading of Dr.
Kushner’s publications. Why?Because, I reasoned, it was published in 2004
and now it is 2016, and surely things have “changed.” I would read it – but last and leisurely on
the Sunday before the interview. By the
time I got home to hear President Obama’s address to the nation, it was all too
clear that Harvey Kushner’s book is still pertinent in 2016.Words from his Introduction were haunting me,
“I chair a department at a university, but I quickly learned that when dealing
with terrorists that death is not academic. Terrorists kill people. They pull
triggers, plant bombs, and blast holes in the NYC skyline.”
Like so many Americans, I am forlorn and on Tuesday, June 14th,
when I walked into Harvey Kushner’s office, I couldn’t hold back.“These terrorists are playing ‘soft-target
roulette’ with us,” I proffered. “That’s
what’s got us feeling anxious.The
Boston Marathon, San Bernardino, and now Orlando …. We get it.While we are exercising, recreating, and
socializing – precisely to blow off stress – we are actually most vulnerable to
opportunistic terrorists. We don’t need
to be flying or on the high seas. That is what is now so unnerving.”A genial
host and gracious respondent, Harvey Wolf Kushner immediately delivered the
perspective available only from one with the breadth and depth of
counter-terrorism experience his forty-plus years of service provides.From the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, through
the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 at Lockerbie, to the mass shooting in Orlando,
Harvey Kushner embodies his book, Encyclopedia of Terrorism.The walls of his office are alive with
commendations and warm letters of appreciation for his service from elected
officials, representatives of allied governments, those in law
enforcement at all levels, as well as branches of the U.S. military and federal
agencies.I couldn’t help but note how
fortunate his graduate students are to study with him and the notable faculty
he has assembled from among the best professionals actively engaged in
counter-terrorism. Congress declared
his institute a National Security Center of Excellence. I asked for twenty minutes but Harvey Kushner gave me a full afternoon of
his time as he responded to my questions and the concerns of my followers at Security Briefs. I left the interview wiser, more insightful and crystal clear on one thing:Dr. Harvey Wolf Kushner is, and has been, unabashedly
devoted to one goal: keeping civilians safe from terrorists. Here
are some excerpts.
BERNARD: I read in your 2004 book that "[m]ost say even three years after 9/11, the FBI and related federal intelligence and law-enforcement agencies still don't 'download' real-time-information to local agencies." I am hearing that very same thing in the analyses of the Orlando Massacre in 2016. Is this so and why?
BERNARD: We heard it with the Tsarnaev brothers, Nidal Hasan and now again with Omar Mateen - they "fell off" the FBI's watch list. How does such a thing happen in the post 9/11 era and what does this portend for "lone wolf" attacks?
BERNARD: My followers at Security Briefs are educators, retail executives, medical professionals, practitioners in law and accounting, clergy, and other concerned citizens who are responsible for other people - their students, clients, customers, congregants and families. What steps can they take to make their workplaces and social spaces are more secure?
BERNARD: In a Q&A Session with former Newtown Chief of Police, Michael Kehoe, I heard him underscore the importance for local law enforcement to maintain "informal" communication with first responders and emergency management professionals at all levels - county, state and federal. In short, you need your crisis management allies to be just a cell-phone call away. Your reaction?
BERNARD: Many of my followers at Security Briefs are professionals in human resources, law, the military, financial services, IT, etc., who are considering applying their expertise in a different capacity in the next phases of their careers. Others are parents of college-bound kids considering their first-career options. What are the job and career prospects for those interested in counter-terrorism?
BERNARD: In seven months, we Americans will inaugurate a new President and Commander-in-Chief. What guidelines would you offer her or him?
BERNARD: Harvey Kushner, it is good to know you. Thank you for your service and for your thoughts and candor this afternoon.
Lisa Bernard is Founder and President of Lisa Bernard's SecuritySpeak, LLC, a speakers bureau devoted to educating people from all walks of life on matters of national, global and cyber-security. To discuss your need for a guest speaker, contact her at LisaBernard@SecuritySpeak.net or via phone at (203) 293-4741.
I asked Dr. Paul Bracken, author of the tour de force book, The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger and New Power Politics, for a comment. He replied:
The pace of military technology has reached a level not seen since the cold war in the 1950s. Drones, cyber-war, targeted killings, anti-satellites weapons, hypersonic missiles are coming into the forces not just of the United States but of many countries.Add to this atomic weapons, and soon, hydrogen bombs for India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.We are entering a new world of technology, yet the old political order of nation states remains essentially unchanged.The 2016 Nuclear Security Summit shows the growing tension of a political order that is out of phase with technology advances.Something has to give, and I don't think it's going to come from a slowdown in technology.
Scroll down for video of Dr. Bracken speaking to the North Korean missile program, STEM, emerging technologies and other key topics in security.
