By Christine June
Public Affairs Office
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (May 6, 2015) – Bob Jensen, senior managing director, Strat3 Limited Liability Company in Annandale, Va., talks about the value of collaboration as part of the "Cyber Security, Social Media and Strategic Communications" panel discussion May 5 during the Program on Cyber Security Studies Community of Interest Workshop – "Emergent Challenges: Practitioner Action" – at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies here.

The other panel member was Mark Pfeifle, the founder and president of Off the Record Strategies, a public relations and strategy company in Washington, D.C.

Jensen brings more than 34 years of experience across a broad spectrum of assignments both inside and outside of the U.S. Government, most recently as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he ensured U.S. government communication efforts had the effect and outcomes needed to save lives, maintain public confidence and address complex international situations. He also provided oversight and input to risk assessments and strategy development for U.S. national security issues including cyber security, natural disasters, pandemics, counter-proliferation and counterterrorism.

He led the U.S. government on-the-ground crisis communications efforts after the massive earthquake in Haiti, for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and for 30 major disasters in the U.S. for FEMA including Hurricane Sandy.

Jensen also served as a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council as well as for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and led on the ground efforts to assess and improve coalition strategic communication effectiveness in Iraq and Afghanistan during four combat zone tours.

A Fulbright Program alumni and an International Advisory Committee member for the Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety at the University of Melbourne, he has been a keynote speaker at conferences in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S.

The Marshall Center invited 60 cyber security experts and cyber practitioners to this special forum to address international, multi-stakeholder, and public-private-partnership security challenges in the cyber domain.

Out of the number of attendees, 29 are Marshall Center alumni, with 15 from PCSS, nine from the Program on Applied Security Studies, three from the Program on Terrorism Security Studies, and one from the Senior Executive Seminar and Program on Security Sector Capacity Building. There are also alum from the Marshall Center's regional sister centers: five from Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies; three from William Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies; and, three from Africa Center for Security Studies. In addition, there are 12 participants from Ukraine.

Beside Ukraine, participants hail from 37 additional countries: Albania, Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; Bulgaria; Chile; Colombia; Czech Republic; Estonia; Georgia; Ghana; Guyana; Indonesia; Kosovo; Latvia; Lebanon; Lesotho; Macedonia; Malaysia; Moldova; Netherlands; Nigeria; Philippines; Portugal; Romania; Senegal; Serbia; Swaziland; Thailand; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Uganda; United States; and, Uzbekistan.

This international collective of participants will examine the current cyber security challenges and discuss pragmatic ways to effectively counter cyber threats.

The workshop will focus on opportunities to build partnership capacity and regional cooperation by discussing best practices for improving cyber security. The critical theme behind this workshop examines the importance of combating the nefarious use of the cyber domain by actors engaged in terrorism and transnational challenges.

It will emphasize strategy and planning within the framework of whole-of-government, public-private partnership, and international cooperation. The workshop helps participants appreciate the nature and magnitude of today's threats and develops a common understanding of the lexicon, best practices and current cyber security initiatives within the public and private cyber sectors.

It incorporates lectures by world-renowned experts in cyber security and each lecture is followed by seminar discussions that promote experience sharing and networking among participants.

The program is tailored for officials responsible for developing or influencing cyber strategies, legislation, and policies.

The workshop is an element of the Marshall Center's new Program on Cyber Security Studies, which conducted its first resident course in December 2014.