Plenary Session 11: Addressing the Push Factors of Migration

Our society is shifting rapidly and our longstanding institutions are trying to keep pace. New technologies, better training, and efforts to diversify our nation’s police forces have all had positive impact. Everyday we call on our police to be more than law enforcement officers and expect them to also respond to nonviolent calls relating to mental illness, addiction, and other social ills. Still we hear for calls to “defund.” Is it time to ask more of our police and cut resources? What technologies might we better leverage in our policing?

Cyberspace has gone from buzzword to full operational domain since the founding of DHS. CISA embodies the purest nature of homeland security – partnership across multiple sectors and echelons. As threats in cyberspace increase in prominence and sophistication, is the current partnership arrangement correct? Does the federal government need to assert more regulatory authority? Or should we take a more laissez-faire approach? How can we forecast the next threat and mitigate risks now?

Terrorist attacks prompted by the Taliban resurgence are a rising threat. Violent extremists in Afghanistan (ISIS-K, Al Qaeda, Haqqani Network) could be emboldened to attack regionally given the absence of United States and Afghan security forces in the country. Meanwhile, terrorists and affiliates across the world - including individuals in America - may strike given the inspirational revival of a like-minded militant group and the appearance of a wounded United States.