Welcoming Remarks – video addresses

H.E. Zoran Zaev, President of the Governmentof the Republic of North Macedonia	Mr. James Appathurai, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, NATO	Mr. Ismet Ramadani, President of ATA North Macedonia / Adviser of the Prime Minister of Republic of North Macedonia

Speaker’s Bios

MR. ILIJA DJUGUMANOV, NATO Country Co-director

 Euro-Atlantic Council of North Macedonia

Topic: NATO and Advanced Technology: Cooperation Efforts and Perspectives for Partner Countries

Ilija Djugumanov was born in Skopje where he graduated Political Science at the Faculty of Law at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University and continued with his MA studies on IR – Conflict Resolution, at a program by the University of Goteborg (TEMPUS Joint Program).
From January 2012, he is president of the Youth of the Euro – Atlantic Council of Macedonia (YATA Macedonia). As a great promoter of regional cooperation and Atlanticism, in February 2013 in Rome, he was elected as a Vice-President for Public Diplomacy and at the next General Assembly in 2014 in Brussels, he was re-elected as a Vice-President for Communication of YATA International in Brussels. During his term he founded the South-Eastern Working Group uniting 8 countries working on regional projects. Also he founded and was editor in chief of the regional Journal SEE Review – supported by NATO and ATA.

After two years on the highest position in YATA International for NATO partner country, Djugumanov put his focus on the country and in the region, so he was elected as a member of the presidency of ATA Macedonia in May 2014 and from January 2021, he was elected as Secretary General of ATA Macedonia.

Djugumanov is also often contacted by the Media from the Balkan region concerning youth, security and defence issues. So far, he has worked as a project director with NATO PDD, GLOBSEC, Crans Montana Forum, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Atlantic Treaty Association, NATO SPS, several military academies, JAGELO and etc.

DR. DIJANA GUPTA, Partner Country Co-director

Atlantic Council of Bosnia and Hercegovinia

Topic: Implementing AI Research and Analysis for Enhancing Security and Defense in WB: Discussing the Prospects for Regional Cooperation

Dr. Dijana Gupta is President of Atlantic Council of Bosnia and Hercegovinia and Professor at the Faculty of Humanities, Dzemal Bijedic University of Mostar. She has various publications in the field of communications and media, the dynamics of modern terrorism and the relationship between the media and religion.

DR. ALAN BRILL

Senior Managing Director & Founder, Cyber Risk Practice of Kroll and Adjunct Professor, Texas A&M University School of Law

Topic 1: AI: Principal Technologies and Applications -What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Topic 2: The Evolution of Hybrid Cyber Attacks: Realities and Reactions

Professor Alan Brill is a Senior managing Director in and founder of the Cyber Risk practice of Kroll. He has more than 40 years of experience in the fields of computer security and digital forensics, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. His work involves the analysis of complex problems in securing systems and in the investigation of system breaches. He has served as lead expert on behalf of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in a complex prosecution involving more than 100,000 documents and other evidence. He also led the cyber-defense of the first presidential campaign of President Barack Obama, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on the subject of computer security.

He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books and more than 100 articles and appeared on many news broadcasts around the world.
Alan serves as an adjunct professor in the Master of Laws (L.L.M.) and Master of Jurisprudence (M.Jur.}programs at the Texas A&M University College of Law, and was formerly an adjunct professor in the Master of Forensic Science program at National University. He has also provided instruction for the NATO Centre of Excellence for Defense Against Terrorism and at a number of NATO ATC, Science & Technology and other events.

Prof. Brill studied in the undergraduate and graduate schools of New York University and Pace University. A former officer in the United States Army, he is also a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College and of the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy of the U.S. National Defense University.

PROF. DR. ASHOK VASEASHTA

Prof. Dr. Ashok Vaseashta, CRO, International Clean Water Institute, USA; Visiting Professor – Riga Technical University and Transylvania University of Brasov

Topic: Nexus of AI, Machine Learning and Advanced Technology Systems for Strengthening Cyber-defense Capabilities

Prof. Dr. Ashok Vaseashta is the Chief Researcher and Chairman for the International Clean Water Institute in Virginia, USA. In addition, he serves as a Visiting Professor at Transylvania University of Brasov, Riga Technical University, Chaired Professor of Nanotechnology at the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Academician at Euro-Mediterranean Academy of Arts and Sciences and Senior Strategic Research Advisor for several organizations.

Inspired by nature and guided by societal necessities, he strives for innovations to address global challenges of the 21st century, such as environment, safety, security, sustainability and resiliency using advanced technological solution platforms. He is a scholar, dedicated futurist and visionary leader who provides strategic leadership to promote and advance research initiatives and priorities using data driven decisions. He received PhD from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA in 1990 followed by Kobe post-doctoral fellowship. Following his PhD, he served as professor and researcher at Virginia Tech and Marshall University. He also served as the Director of Research at the Institute for Advanced Sciences Convergence and International Clean Water Institute for Norwich University Applied Research Institutes. Prior to his current position, he served as Vice Provost for Research at the Molecular Science Research Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

He served as visiting professor at the 3 Nano-SAE Research Centre, University of Bucharest, Romania and visiting scientist at the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center of Nanoscale Science at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. He served the U.S. Department of State in two rotations, as strategic S&T advisor and U.S. diplomat. His research interests span nanotechnology, environmental/ecological science, and safety and security. His research on nanotechnology has been on improving the understanding, design, and performance of nanofibers and sensors/detectors, mainly for applications such as wearable electronics, target drug delivery, detection of biomarkers and toxicity of nano and xenobiotic materials. In the security arena, he has worked on counterterrorism, countering unconventional warfare and hybrid threats, critical-Infrastructure protection, biosecurity, dual-use research concerns, and mitigating hybrid threats including fake-news. In addition, he has made numerous contributions in environmental/ecological science including directing research for International Clean Water Institute, pollution monitoring, contamination detection and remediation, and sustainability through green nanotechnology.

He has authored over 270 research publications, edited/authored nine books on nanotechnology and environment and has presented many keynotes and invited lectures worldwide. He serves on the editorial board of several highly reputed international journals. He is an active member of several national and international professional organizations. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, Institute of Nanotechnology and the New York Academy of Sciences. He has earned several other fellowships and awards for his meritorious service including 2004/2005 Distinguished Artist and Scholar award.

BRIGADIER GENERAL (BG) METODI HADJI-JANEV, PH.D.

Military Academy General Mihailo Apostolski”-Skopje

Topic 1: NATO’s Political and Strategic Considerations of AI’s Impact on Political - Military Leadership and Decision-Making

Topic 2: Autonomous Technology and Autonomous Weapon Systems: Challenges for International Law

Brigadier General (BG) Metodi Hadji-Janev, Ph.D. is an associate professor at the Military Academy General Mihailo Apostolski”-Skopje, a unit of University “Goce Delcev” in Stip, Macedonia and an adjunct faculty member at Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, Arizona State University, ASU, U.S.A. He is a graduate of the Macedonian Military Academy and the United States Air Command and Staff College. He also holds MA and Ph.D. degrees in Law from the Law Faculty “Justinian-I” in Skopje, Macedonia. In 2018 BG Hadji Janev was awarded the Legion of Merit Award by the US Defense Secretary, James Mattis, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements as a Macedonian Defense attaché in Washington DC, U.S.A. BG Hadji-Janev’s current scholarship focuses on legal aspects of countering asymmetric, cyber, and hybrid-based threats, with emphasis on critical information infrastructure and critical infrastructure protection; on legal and strategic aspects of use of force in countering terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime threats, and on development of legislation and strategic documents to effectively counter cyber and hybrid threat vectors. He was actively engaged in collaboration with and NATO Center of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism in Ankara, Turkey where he acted as a co-director in four NATO SPS funded projects (2011-2014) and academic course advisor on the course specifically designed for EUROCORPS in Strasburg (2015). In addition, he acted as a NATO Partner country co-director in 3 NATO SPS funded projects. His latest book was ranked among the top 10 best books for university colleges in the USA (see more at http://www.sanfoundry.com/best-reference-books-cybercrime-digital-forensic-cyber-forensics/) BG Hadji-Janev is a vice president of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia and is actively involved in stimulating young researchers to work on different scientific and professional security projects. He is also an official disseminator at the Macedonian part of the International Red Cross.

DR. NIKOLAOS LOUTAS

NATO Head of Data Policy

Topic: NATO’s approach to Data Exploitation & Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Nikolaos joined NATO in August 2021 as head of the Data Policy Unit. The Data Policy Unit is responsible for advocating, leading, and helping manage the use of data as a strategic asset for NATO. It will provide policy leadership, establishing high-level frameworks and enablers to empower NATO to draw value from data and Artificial Intelligence, generated by NATO and its Allies, with a focus on Alliance operations and missions. It will deliver a coherent NATO approach to data exploitation, driving policy adoption and practical data science and Artificial Intelligence initiatives on a NATO-wide basis.

Prior to joining NATO, he worked as a data policy officer in the European Commission’s Secretariat-General, coordinating the design and implementation of the Commission’s data governance and data policies. This position followed a career in the technology consulting practice of PwC in Belgium, where he ended as Director for Data and Analytics.

Nikolaos started his career working as researcher for the Insight Centre for Data Analytics in Ireland (formerly known as Digital Enterprise Research Institute) and the Centre for Research and Technology in Greece.

He holds a PhD at the crossroads of service science, data analytics and AI (with a focus on semantic technologies), which explored better ways of digital service search, recommendation and personalization.

MS. ANN VALJATAGA

NATO CCD COE

Topic: Autonomous systems and cyber weapons - parallel discussions, shared realities

Ann Väljataga joined NATO CCDCOE in December 2016 as an international law researcher. During the first year of working at the CCDCOE, her primary area of expertise was the comparative analysis of national cyber security strategies. Ever since the array has expanded to include domain-specific issues of cyber law, election security and human rights in cyberspace.
Her prior professional experience has predominantly focused on human rights in the digital sphere. In addition to that, she has conducted research on various legal issues regarding migration and equal treatment for UNHCR and Estonian Human Rights Centre and served as a legal counsel for asylum seekers in Estonia. From 2014 – 2016 she was part of research teams studying the fundamental rights implications of biometric border systems and untargeted surveillance at the FRA (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights). She continues to contribute to the Estonian Human Right Centre´s annual report on Human Rights in Estonia, where she analyses national developments in privacy and data protection.

DR. SC. MITKO BOGDANOSKI

Dean, Military Academy “General Mihailo Apostolski” Skopje

Topic: Abusing modern technology and AI for strategic ends

Prof. Dr. Sc. Mitko BOGDANOSKI is Dean at the Military Academy “General Mihailo Apostolski” in Skopje, Managing Director and Consultant of CYSEG, and Co-founder of Cyber Security, Corporate Security, and Crisis Management Initiative – C3I. He has a diverse background, extensive knowledge and expertise with over 20 years of experience in the area of cyber security and IT. His research interests include Information/Cyber Security, different aspects of IT, Terrorists’ and Criminals’ use of Cyberspace and Technologies, Digital Forensics, Hybrid threats, Electronic and Information warfare, Social network analysis. He is an author of more than 100 cyber security related publications (books, chapters, articles, papers).

Has a proven track record in developing cyber security capabilities in different institutions and countries. He is regularly engaged as a cyber security key/subject matter expert/consultant including involvement in different EU, NATO, DCAF, and RACVIAC projects and activities. Dr. Sc. Bogdanoski has organized or participated as a keynote and invited speaker on many conferences, advanced training courses, and advance research workshops related to his area of expertise.

Dr. Sc. Bogdanoski is Senior Member of IEEE Organization, an honorary member of eSigurnost (eSecurity) association and a member of several other communities. He is an editorial board member of several reputable international journals, as well as a program committee member of several international conferences.

MR. JASON WEISMAN

European Parliament

Topic: The Prospects of Public-Private Partnerships for Development of AI Solutions

Jason serves as an Advisor on Security and Defence, Foreign Affairs and Counter-Terrorism in the European Parliament. His primary responsibilities are to support the Members of European Parliament and Advisory teams in a joint effort to ensure effective policy-making within the Committees on Security and Defence, Foreign Affairs and Terrorism. From 2015-2018 he served as Secretary General of the Atlantic Treaty Association in Brussels, Belgium. Working alongside ATA colleagues, NATO International Staff and a variety of political representatives and security personnel, Jason’s primary responsibilities included the development of NATO Advanced Training Courses and coordination of defence policies across various Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs in over 40 countries. He holds an MA in Government with a Specialization in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security and was inducted into the Forbes “Top 30 Under 30” for most influential policymakers in 2016.

MS. ANETT NUMA

E-Estonia Briefing Centre

Topic: Digitalization, AI and Private-Public Cooperation: Experiences from Estonia

Anett Numa works in e-Estonia Briefing Centre, an executive centre and an innovation hub in Tallinn, specially designed for experiencing the e-state of mind. Having lived and studied in different countries, Anett has learned to appreciate living in a digital society. Anett believes that all processes and structures of public services should be accessible and simple for every single citizen. Based on her academic background in political science, Anett focuses on enhancing good cooperation between the public and private sector to create a comprehensive and supportive environment. Her goal as a Digital Transformation Adviser at the e-Estonia Briefing Centre is to explain the Estonian digitalisation experience and thus inspire leaders and decision-makers alike to create a better tomorrow.

MS. LJUBICA PENDAROSKA

Privacy and Data Protection Expert

Topic: NATO and Advanced Technology: Cooperation Efforts and Perspectives for Partner Countries

Ms. Ljubica Pendaroska is Privacy and Data Protection Expert, committed to promoting profound women’s participation in the complex cybersecurity challenges. Following that spirit, she grew up professionally through her expertise role in UNICEF as well as in wide spectrum of EU and NATO projects. Ljubica is co-founder of Cyber-security, Corporate Security and Crisis Management Initiative Skopje, Program Director of the Marshall Center Security Forum, Official Representative of the NATO Memorial Federation and Vice-President of the Adriatic Council. The SC Magazine London featured Pendaroska as one of the 50 Most influential women in cybersecurity in Europe 2019. She served as Special Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of North Macedonia.

Following her achievements in cyber environment, she was invited to join and launched Women4Cyber North Macedonia Chapter, as trademark of W4C Foundation Brussels.

MS. MARTINA HESSE

European Parliament

Topic: Developing Autonomous Technology for purpose of Maximizing Defense Capabilities: Challenges and Opportunities for the WB Countries

Martina serves as an Advisor on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence, Human Rights and Legal Affairs in the European Parliament.

Her primary responsibilities are to support the Members of European Parliament and Advisory teams in a joint effort to ensure effective policy-making. She serves as a key facilitator between national and international officials where she provides legal advice in cooperation with multiple international organizations and is among the primary negotiators in relations between the European Parliament and third parties. Among her various duties, she oversees policy development and negotiations with the implementation of Artificial Intelligence and shaping of digital services throughout the European Union.

She holds a BA in Foreign Affairs with a Specialization in European Peace & Security Studies.

DR. LORA PITMAN
Visiting Research Assistant Professor, School of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Master`s in Law, Sofia University Bulgaria

Topic: The clash of legal and ethical aspects of AI use in hybrid warfare

Dr. Lora Pitman holds a PhD in International Studies from Old Dominion University, a Master’s in Humanities from the same institution, and a Master’s in Law from Sofia University, Bulgaria. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles with a focus on international security and cybersecurity. Her publications appear in International Journal of Cyber Criminology, International Journal of Intelligence & Cybercrime, International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, Journal of Criminal Justice Studies, and Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science. She is also a co-editor of the NATO-issued volume Advances in Defence Analysis, Concept Development and Experimentation: Innovation for the Future.

Her research interests include human security and its relevance to national and international security, disinformation and other existing and future cognitive warfare techniques. As a subject matter expert, Dr. Pitman worked on different projects on disinformation, sponsored by NATO and by the U.S. Department of State.