By LTC Ulrich Janßen
Non-Resident Program
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (March 3, 2017) – The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy Astana conducted a cyber domain workshop on “International Cooperation in Building Resilient Information Assurance Best Practices” March 1 to 3 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

German Air Force Col. Jörg Prescher, deputy dean of Non-Resident Programs at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, makes opening remarks at the Cyber Domain Workshop March 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan. (Photo by Col. Goffried Salchner)

This workshop brought together 15 cyber security experts from 10 countries and more than 40 participants from Kazakhstan and neighboring Turkmenistan in the Kazakh capital Astana.

U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, George Krol, and Johnny Kramer, deputy chief of mission at the German Embassy Astana, joined German Col. Jörg Prescher, deputy dean of non-resident programs at the Marshall Center, in addressing the audience.

The workshop served as a forum to address international and multi-stakeholder security concerns in the cyber domain. Participants examined the current mission assurance security challenges, and discussed practical and pragmatic ways to improve regional and international cooperation to effectively counter cyber threats.

“The workshop will assist national leaders in making informed, whole-of-government decisions on challenges relating to critical aspects of cyber security to include: strategy and policy development, critical infrastructure protection, combating cybercrime, information sharing and governmental cybersecurity crisis and emergency response best practices,” said Professor Phil Lark, director of the Program for Cyber Security Studies (PCSS) at the Marshall Center.