In this era of humungous changes at breakneck speed, war has undergone a rapid transformation as well. The character of war has changed radically. The tools of ‘compellence’ – a form of coercion that attempts to get an actor to change its behaviour through threats to use force or the actual use of limited force ­– have not changed, though. Yet, countries are changing their Tools and Tactics of preferences.

Bengaluru-based Indian Defence company COVINTS (Covert Overt Intelligence Solutions) organised a one-of-its-kind ‘Counter Terrorism Expo 2023’ in New Delhi from February 21 to 25, at the NCUI Auditorium, 3 Institutional Area, August Kranti Marg.

The five-day expo was divided into two parts: Conference and Technical Offensive, and Defensive Workshop.

Over the first three days, the participants attended the conference and met various stakeholders ranging from Defence and domain experts from different parts of the country.

The last two days of the expo, on February 24 and 25, were dedicated to a unique Cyber Offensive and Defensive War Game with advanced Counter-Terrorism scenarios, in collaboration with the organisers’ Israeli partners.

The event focussed on conventional and non-conventional approaches, strategies, tactics, and operational insights into Counter-Terrorism and Counterintelligence.

COVINTS hosted discussions on topics such as understanding the operational capabilities of terrorist groups, the phenomenon of radicalization, and terrorist propaganda.

Experts noted that non-kinetic engagements are best employed to incur disruptive effects in and across various dimensions (e.g., biological, psychological, social) that can lead to intermediate and long-term destructive manifestations in domains ranging from the economic to the geo-political.

Control over information has always been a part of military operations. The modern world cannot evolve or operate without critical infrastructure, which has become dependent on Internet connectivity for information management, communications, and control functions.

The terrorist threat to critical infrastructure and vulnerable targets are among the most critical security challenges facing the International community today, and the situation is ever-evolving.

A total of 321 participants – in both offline and online mode – from countries like Israel, the US and India took part in the expo.

Addressing a global audience, the chief guest of the event, Lt. Gen AB Shivane, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd.), COAS, Chair of Excellence at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, India, spoke on ‘National Security Contours and Counter-Terrorism Strategy Construct for India’.

The Second Session entailed a unique discussion on ‘Cyber Negotiations’, which was handled by Moty Cristal from Israel. Cristal, it may be noted, is considered the world’s No 1 Cyber Negotiator.

An exclusive product canvassing session was undertaken by Skiftech from Ukraine that demonstrated tactical engagement simulations and training systems.

The second day was dedicated to ‘Cyber Security’ where the keynote speaker was Col (Dr) Inderjeet Singh, Chief Cyber Officer (COO) and 2x TEDx Speaker. It turned out to be a gripping session that deliberated on the various aspects of Cyber Security especially focussing on practical cases. The second half was dedicated to CBRN and building a sustainable ecosystem and the session was conducted by Nidal Abu Sammour who was supported by Shawn Baker Garcia online from USA. It was an insightful session for the participants.

A special session on space warfare was also a part of the three-day conference, undertaken by Paul Szymanski from the USA.

Dr Eyal Pinko from Israel also spoke on the ‘Dark web of cyber terrorism’.

The speakers at the event were unanimous that increased interdependence has made infrastructure vulnerable to natural hazards, technical problems, cyber-attacks, and terrorism. The participants met with COVINTS’ experts at the expo and gained insights into operational and professional networking, skill enhancement, and disruptive techs from countries like Israel, the USA, and India.

The two-day workshop on ‘Cyber Offensive and Cyber Defensive’ was undertaken by COVINTS’ exclusive partner Terra Strategic Solutions.

COVINTS noted its excitement at presenting its Israeli and US partners for the CT Expo 2023. Their exclusive partnership brought more than a decade of experience and solutions in Technologies, Counterintelligence, Homeland Security, Counter-Terrorism, etc.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed among COVINTS and Nest Group and Nest Consultancy, Israel; Skiftech, Ukraine; ITCT, UK; Terra Strategic Solutions, Israel; Space Strategies Center, USA, and Fly Ola Group, India.