UNG Brings International Intelligence Community Together
The University of North Georgia (UNG) is taking great strides to equip students, faculty, and staff with the necessary skills to navigate an increasingly dynamic and complex national security environment. This commitment was represented through UNG’s recent hosting of the International Association for Intelligence Education's (IAFIE) Annual Global Conference.
With the theme "The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence, Cyber, and Intelligence on Global Security Interests,” the conference brought together intelligence educators and professionals from around the world to exchange specialized knowledge in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, intelligence, and global security fields. The objective of the conference was to explore the multifaceted nature of national security while examining how the rapid integration of artificial intelligence is transforming the security environment, specifically in analyses, operations, education, governance, and decision-making. This discussion was led in part by six keynote speakers: Andrew Borene, Stephen Fogarty, Phil Kowalick, Yosef Kuperwasser, Suzanne Spaulding, and Nicole Robinson. Each speaker offered a unique yet highly interconnected perspective on national security issues, addressing topics ranging from the use of satellites in national security to conflict in Iran, artificial intelligence, hybrid warfare, and threats from adversaries.
Dr. Edward Mienie, UNG Professor and Executive Director of Strategic and Security Studies Programs, served as conference chair. Dr. Mienie states that the value of an international gathering of this scale lies in the perspectives it brings and the opportunity to learn from one another, describing national security professionals as “force multipliers” who grow increasingly dependent on one another with their diversity of thought to develop a deeper understanding of the growing complex challenges the intelligence community faces.
For UNG, the conference also provided an opportunity to foster connections among international academics and practitioners, and the interdisciplinary degree programs the university offers. Although the conference may have been particularly relevant to UNG’s Political Science, International Affairs, Strategic & Security Studies, and Cyber programs, its theme of convergence stressed that national security is not limited to any one academic discipline; its challenges span many fields including intelligence studies, global security, criminal justice, psychology, and history. By blending these academic disciplines, the IAFIE conference gave experts, scholars, and students from a variety of backgrounds an opportunity to advance intelligence education through innovation and cooperation.
Dr. Mienie believes that by identifying the nexus between academia and the broader intelligence community, the conference demonstrated the important role higher education plays in preparing the next generation of national security professionals. Students in attendance had opportunities to network with professionals, learn about research methods, internships, cooperative education opportunities, and for some, present papers during panel discussions. This gathering also reinforced the “enduring value of intelligence education,” particularly as artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated and widely accessible. As a result, many of the conference discussions examined the growing demand for future intelligence professionals who not only understand advanced technologies, but also their limitations, vulnerabilities, and strategic implications. Altogether, Dr. Mienie emphasizes that events such as the IAFIE annual conference can help students further their understanding of current security issues, prepare themselves for careers in national security, and connect with federal agencies while completing their studies.
Dr. Mienie shares two key takeaways from the event. First, he says, “technology must strengthen and not replace human judgement, analytical rigor, and accountability, nor professional integrity.” Second, “UNG values the interdisciplinary nature of the threats to national security.” For Dr. Mienie, the IAFIE conference provided UNG with an opportunity to showcase these values “all the way from an institutional view to a departmental view.” He reiterates that the opportunity to host such a large international audience not only reinforced the university’s “position among professionals in the national security field” but underscored higher education’s role in understanding the increasingly complex, multifaceted threats to our nation’s national security interests.