Through a collaboration with the U.S. Army War College, the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington will launch a new initiative in spring 2021 to increase understanding of the changing configurations of technology and international security. The focus will be on cyber resilience, energy security and counterterrorism. Activities will include research, publications, courses and public events and workshops.
Sarah Lohmann
The initiative, to start March 16, will be led by Sarah Lohmann, Acting Assistant Professor at the Jackson School, with the generous support of the U.S. Army War College. Lohmann will come from posts as the Senior Cyber Fellow with the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University and as UW Communications Leadership Faculty on big data and emerging technology.
“Cybersecurity has emerged as one of the most important challenges to national security and it compels us to deepen our understanding of the relationship between technology and international security,” said Leela Fernandes, the director of the Jackson School. “We are delighted to have Sarah Lohmann as a faculty member in the Jackson School to enrich our intellectual community, and her teaching and research will be invaluable for our students. We appreciate this opportunity brought to us through our partnership with the U.S. Army War College.”
A US-Europe security focus
The initiative will focus on two themes, both involving the European landscape. The first is dedicated to critical infrastructure security and resiliency with a special focus on the terrorist threat. Lohmann will be coordinating a book project on this theme between the U.S. Army War College and the NATO Centre of Excellence – Defense Against Terrorism. The second area will be on energy security in an era of hybrid warfare, for which Lohmann is serving as co-lead for a NATO Science and Technology Organization project (SAS-163).
The first public event of the initiative, called “How Emerging Technology is Shaping International Security” is set for May 13. Lohmann will also teach two Jackson School classes: in spring quarter 2021, the seminar on ”NATO, Energy and Cybersecurity in Europe” to be co-taught with Jackson School Affiliate Instructor Ambassador John Koenig, former U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO in Brussels, as well as a winter 2022 Task Force on “Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection in an Era of Hybrid Warfare,” pending renewal of the initiative for a one-year extension that would begin in January 2022.
Other plans for 2022 include, in collaboration with the Jackson School’s Center for West European Studies, the Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies and the U.S. Army War College, include a workshop with participants from across NATO countries on strengthening cyber and energy security in Europe.