NEWS
Technology making "a huge difference" to Security Training
Technology assisted learning is making "a huge difference" to preparedness for modern emergencies and security planning, according to security think-tank the New Security Foundation, which held its annual conference on 'e-learning for defence and security' in Berlin recently.
Dr Harold Elletson, Chairman of the New Security Foundation, told delegates at the conference:
“In the last twenty years, the breathtaking pace of technological change and innovation in media and communications has combined with the effects of economic globalisation to produce a revolution in every sector of industry. It has changed the very nature and practice of both industry and commerce, affecting production, distribution, marketing and almost every other discipline or activity. It has transformed the market, creating new imperatives and bringing new opportunities. Nowhere is this more true than in the field of education and training.
New technology has created both an urgent need and a huge demand for education and training. It has also brought with it new methods and systems of sharing and transferring knowledge and skills.
In the defence and security sector, the challenges and opportunities associated with the new global market and a massive technological revolution have been compounded by a parallel revolution in the nature of security itself. We live in an era of new vulnerabilities, with which we are only beginning to come to terms. Our greatest strengths are often our greatest weaknesses. A global market and a shrinking world have benefited not only the businessman but also the terrorist.
It is in this context that we see the immense importance of e-learning, online training and technology assisted learning for the defence and security sector. New technology can make, and is making, a huge difference in helping organisations to prepare, train, exercise and raise levels of awareness. It has affected the way in which intelligence is gathered, used and distributed, the way in which data is stored and knowledge is managed and transferred. It has created new possibilities for security cooperation and allowed organisations both to train more effectively and to achieve significant cost savings.
We will see some of these benefits today and look at new technology and new systems in practice. In particular, Uwe Seidel of the Baden Wurttemberg police will describe a new system, MEPA Online, of which he is one of the pioneers and which will strengthen cooperation between European police forces.
In our opening session, however, we will look at some of the darker aspects of the new technology and examine how it is being used to undermine our security. Mahan Abedin of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism will talk about the use of the internet by extremist groups for recruitment, training and propaganda. General Johnnes Kert, the Military Representative of Estonia to NATO and a former commander of the Estonian Armed Forces, will describe the recent cyber attacks on Estonian government facilities and discuss the lessons that should be learned.
This is the third international forum on e-learning for defence and security and the New Security Foundation is delighted to host it. It has established itself as an important occasion for the discussion of developments in technology assisted learning in the defence and security sector. The New Security Foundation is committed to promoting the role technology can play in enhancing learning in this sector and thus improving security. At the same time, we remain aware of the need always to ensure that technology works for us and is used so that security is the bulwark of liberty. That lesson is, perhaps, the most important lesson to remember in any discussion about technology supported learning for defence and security.”
