f.l.t.r.: Admiral Kamel Akrout, Rear Admiral Kamel Akrout, First National Security Adviser to the Tunisian President; Quentin Hodgson, Senior International Defense Researcher, RAND Corporation, USA; Sean Costigan, Professor, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

Dr. Canan Atilgan, Director of the KAS Regional Program South Mediterranean, during the welcoming remarks

Quentin Hodgson, Senior International Defense Researcher at the RAND Corporation, during his presentation

Participants of the workshop during the discussion

Sean Costigan, Professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies shared his experiences with the participants

The speed of technological change and the growing dependence on cyberspace - in the political, military and economic spheres - make countries more vulnerable to cyber threats. In recent years, cyber-attacks on states have increased in their number, intensity and sophistication. They are directed against government systems, information infrastructures, command and control systems, and computerized defense systems of the armed forces. The field of cyber defense has thus become an indispensable component for national security and defense.

It is against this backdrop that the Tunisian government is in the process of strengthening its cyber defense capacities and designing a comprehensive national cyber defense strategy. Upon the invitation of the Presidency of the Republic of Tunisia, the KAS Regional Program South Mediterranean is supporting these efforts through a series of expert workshops on cyber defense strategies in order to foster the exchange of experiences and best practices.

The first expert workshop of the series took place from 24 to 25 September and brought two leading international cyber defense experts to Tunis for a closed-door workshop. Sean Costigan, Professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, and Quentin Hodgson, Senior International Defense Researcher at RAND Corporation shared their expertise on cyber defense and the drafting of national cyber defense strategies with the participants.

During the workshop, representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the Ministry of Industry had the opportunity through keynote speeches and discussion formats to better understand the threat landscape for cyber defense, to enhance their knowledge in the field of prevention of and fight against cyber threats, as well as gain insights into cooperation mechanisms for governments and private sector. The workshop furthermore gave a platform for more in-depth discussions on the key components and stakeholders in the formulation of a national cyber defense strategy.

Through the presentations and discussions, the workshop thus allowed for the exchange of experiences and best practices in the field of cyber defense and thus prepared the ground for the formulation of Tunisia’s national cyber defense strategy.