Narco-Terrorism and African Security Issues Conferences
Stanley Supinski - February 14, 2012 09:47
All - Rob Ehlers of San Angelo State asked this to be posted - looks like an interesting event.
Stan
All,
Angelo State University’s Center for Security Studies, in conjunction with Policia Internacional Transfronteriza/Transborder International Police, will hold an international conference August 20-23, 2012, here at ASU. We have buy-in and support from a wide range of federal, state, and local agencies and organizations. Several of these groups are co-hosting the conference with us. This 2.5 day conference is designed to address current narco-terrorism ties, trends and issues through information sharing. There will be significant opportunities for discussion, coordination, and liaison with multiple players in this vital arena.
Given the military’s growing involvement in missions relating to this threat and similar ones, I wanted to let those of you in uniform or otherwise working for the DoD (along with all other addressees to this e-mail working in other arenas) know about this opportunity and ask that you share my note with anyone in your professional circle who may have an interest in attending.
In particular, we are planning on reaching a wide audience that includes both the personnel with “boots on the ground” in the fight against narco-terrorism, and mid- and senior-level leadership/management. We will organize breakout sessions and venues appropriate for the differential needs of attendees (i.e. separate “training” sessions for agents/officers versus the “policy” issues that drive leadership/management).
Texas Tech University is also working with us on the conference as are highly respected SMEs from around the state. We’ve identified and invited several very senior officials to speak but are waiting on firm scheduling commitments before making announcements.
Conference Title: “Trans-Border Narco-Terrorism: Addressing a Changing Environment”
Presentations within the conference venue will be organized under the following themes: 1. Narco-terrorism; trends and responses 2. Addressing ethical dilemmas: stressors and solutions 3. Sharing information; breaking the communication barrier
We already have significant interest from personnel south of the border, extending to agencies in South America. This is an unclassified conference open to all and presenters should take this into consideration. We have discussed a separate venue for intelligence issues where we would “vet” participants, but have not firmed up this area just yet.
As the planning progresses, I will keep you informed. We are open to inputs and are ready and willing to answer any questions. Dr. James Phelps and Dr. Manny Zamora (cc: addressees on this e-mail) are leading the planning effort for this major event, and I ask that you or your staff contact them directly should you have interest in attending.
On a related note, the CSS is also co-hosting a major symposium with Marine Corps University at Quantico the second week of September entitled “Security Issues on the African Continent.” It’s going to be a large and very informative conference focused on the many emerging security challenges to the US that we’re seeing in Africa. Key topics include terrorism, weak and failing states, humanitarian missions/assistance, civil-military affairs, and economic development/issues. We have a number of key speakers lined up, including very senior military commanders, Ambassadors, senior civilian officials, operators, and a very impressive collection of scholars. If you or any of your staff/colleagues has an interest in attending, please contact the lead planners for this event, Dr. Tony Celso and Dr. Robert Nalbandov (also cc: addressees).
Many thanks!
Rob
Robert S. Ehlers, Jr., Ph.D. Director, Center for Security Studies Head, Department of Security Studies Angelo State University Member, Texas Tech University System ASU Station #10922 San Angelo, TX 76909-0922 Phone: (325) 486-6682 Fax: (325) 942-2544 robert.ehlers@angelo.edu
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