Previous FSS Security Talks
19th SSF Security Talk | Geopolitical Tensions in the Arctic: The Battle for Resources, Trade Routes and Great Power Claims, 23rd October 2024
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At the 19th SSF Security Talk, three experts discussed the geopolitical significance of the Arctic. Depending on your point of view, the Arctic is either on the brink of disaster, a rich store of natural resources or a geopolitical hotspot with potential for escalation. The perspectives are diverse. These in turn depend on the respective view on the Arctic in terms of geopolitics, energy and environmental policy, global economy and military security. However, the different perspectives and their scenarios have a common basis, namely climate change and its massive consequences for the Arctic.
With the drastic thawing of the polar ice, the Arctic has become increasingly relevant for Russia and China, but also for the USA in terms of security policy, with great potential for conflict. A return to peaceful cooperation with Russia is not realistic at present, apart from the existing contractual agreements.
However, this potential for conflict has to be looked at closely: For the foreseeable future, the Arctic sea routes offer a clear shortcut compared to southern routes, but not a long-term alternative. The melting ice makes shipping in the Arctic possible in the summer months, but not better or even easier. This is because the weather conditions, enormous distances, orientation and navigation remain very difficult and the costs are too high to compete with the Suez and Panama Canals.
​The experts at the 19th FSS Security Talk agreed that climate change poses major challenges for the entire Arctic region. In addition, there is still a great deal to be explored. Only 8% of the Arctic has been mapped so far. The fact that the Arctic consists mainly of ice and water, combined with its enormous size and small population, makes precise orientation and observation difficult.
A peaceful and stable Arctic is increasingly becoming a distant prospect. This is because the economic and military interests of the major powers and the littoral states will determine the agenda in the future. Accelerated climate change in the Arctic is having a massive impact on the civil and military use of the Arctic. In order to defuse the potential for conflict in the region at an early stage before it escalates, members of the Arctic Council - including Switzerland - are focusing on negotiated solutions and talks on all levels of government and “quiet” diplomacy.
In the presence of over 70 interested participants, renowned experts such as Dr. Michael Paul (Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs), Major General Claude Meier (Former General Staff Officer at the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP)) and Bruno Ehrler (Director C5I Space at RUAG) spoke and engaged in discussion.
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The Swiss Security Forum (SSF) can look back on a successful event and would like to thank all those who attended for their participation.
​The detailed summary report with the exciting findings from the input presentations and the panel discussion can be found here.
The program for the talk and the panelists can be found here.
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18th SSF Security Talk | Generative AI: A Powerful Productivity Tool or a Fundamental Security Risk?, 26th August 2024
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At the 18th SSF Security Talk, seven experts discussed the importance of classic and generative AI, the enormous opportunities, but also the major risks, of the latest IT evolution. With the publication of ChatGTP at the end of 2022, the disruptive potential of this technology became clear for the first time not only to experts, but also to a large part of the general public. The heads of major technology companies such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon etc. are convinced that the development of generative AI is just as fundamental as the invention of the cell phone, the microprocessor, electricity or even fire. For the first time, generative artificial intelligence can not only predict the “most likely” answer, as classical predictive AI did before, but can actually generate “creative” outputs, which has long been considered a unique characteristic of humans.
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Text, image and audio files, for example, can be created in no time at all. However, there are also considerable risks when using this new technology. Generative AI models can hallucinate in certain cases and thus generate meaningless or incorrect output. There is also a risk that they could be misused by malicious users to commit fraud, manipulate public opinion or unsettle the population. The more widely this technology becomes established, the more important trust becomes on the part of the user. This trust arises when technology companies offer safe and ethically sound products and there is also sensible regulation.
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The experts at the 18th FSS Security Talk therefore agreed that key ethical issues need to be clarified in the near future. The focus will be on topics such as bias, transparency, responsibility and the potential social impact. At the same time, generative artificial intelligence is a tool that can be used to expand or improve one's own capabilities. However, it is essential to train the population accordingly. On the one hand, people need to learn how to use the new tools so that their potential can be utilized as beneficially as possible. On the other hand, awareness must be created of the malicious purposes for which this technology can be misused. The typically human characteristic of critical thinking will play a central role here.
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In the presence of almost 100 interested participants, renowned experts such as Katharina Fulterer (Partner Data & AI at Eraneos), Stefan Preuss (Head of Emerging Technologies Audit Department at Mobiliar), Dr. Thomas Rothacher (Head of Science and Technology at armasuisse), Jennifer Victoria Scurrell (PhD student at the Center for Security Studies), Patrick Fontana (Digital & App Innovation Specialist at Microsoft), Dr. Peter Friedli (Partner Public Security at Eraneos) and Lisa Kondratieva (Head of AI at ti&m) spoke and discussed.
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The Swiss Security Forum (SSF) can look back on a successful event and would like to thank all those who attended for their participation.
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The detailed summary report with the exciting findings from the input presentations and the panel discussion can be found here.
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The program for the talk and the panelists can be found here.
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17th SSF Security Talk | The rules-based international order under pressure - challenges for the West and Switzerland, June 17, 2024
The Russian attack on Ukraine marked a turning point in security policy in the West and especially in Europe. The invasion of a sovereign state in defiance of international law was a clear violation of the existing rules-based (Western) world order. However, it has already been under considerable pressure for around 10-15 years and international bodies such as the UN Security Council, which among other things ensures compliance with the world order, are increasingly unable to make decisions or take action.
These developments are indicative of an emerging confrontation between two power blocs: The West on the one hand and China and Russia and their "allies" on the other. In addition, there is a group of "neutral" states that do not want to be categorised in a specific camp. However, countries in the global South in particular will play an important role in maintaining the rules-based order in the future. This is because the global order primarily protects smaller states from the expansionist drive of large, powerful states.
The experts at the 17th FSS Security Talk agreed that the carefree "Belle Epoque " is finally over and that the West must prepare for uncomfortable times. However, all representatives on the panel were of the opinion that it is very difficult to communicate this fact to the civilian population. This has been in a "deep sleep", especially over the past 30+ years, and now needs to be "woken up" again.
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In the presence of almost 100 interested participants, renowned experts such as Major General Thomas Starlinger (Military Representative of Austria to the EU and NATO), Dr Markus Mäder (State Secretary for Security Policy), Dr Urs Loher (Director of the Federal Armaments Office armasuisse), Dr Marcel Berni (Lecturer in Strategic Studies ad interim at the Military Academy (MILAK) ETH Zurich) and Dr Wolfram Kuoni (Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ferrexpo AG) gave presentations and held discussions.
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The Swiss Security Forum (SSF) can look back on a successful event and would like to thank all those who attended for their participation.
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The detailed summary report with the exciting findings from the input presentation and the panel discussion can be found here.
The programme with the panel guests can be found here. ​
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16th SSF Security Talk | Increased federal commitment to cybersecurity: How secure is Switzerland?, February 21, 2024
The numerous participants at the 16th FSS Security Talk as part of the 6th Swiss Cyber Security Days (SCSD), which invited thousands of interested people to BERNEXPO on February 20/21, showed that the topic of cybersecurity is attracting a great deal of attention. In the recent past, the Confederation, authorities and private companies in Switzerland have had to learn from a number of painful examples just how dangerous the massive increase in attacks from the information and cyber space is and what damage they cause.
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However, increased awareness of cyberattacks alone is not enough, explained Martin von Muralt, Delegate of the Swiss Security Network (SVS): "For effective crisis management, we need well-coordinated, subsidiary cooperation at all three levels of government (federal, cantonal and municipal) with clear processes and responsibilities." The upcoming Security Network Exercise 2025, where the Federal Council will be practising together with all cantonal governments for the first time, is about gaining important insights in this regard.
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"The creation of the new Federal Office for Cyber Security (BACS) and the new State Secretariat for Security Policy (SEPOS) as well as the revision of the Security Information Act at the beginning of 2024 show that the Federal Council and Parliament are taking cyber issues very seriously," emphasized Florian Schütz, new Director of the BACS. The new federal offices are the natural and targeted further development of the existing institutions and a clear response from the federal government to the increased requirements in the area of cyber security.
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Increasing cyber resilience is also a hot topic in the private sector, as Tobias Schoch, Chief Security Officer of the AXA insurance group, explained. "As a globally active company with thousands of jobs, AXA recognized the risks early on and invests in cyber security accordingly every year!" This pays off in any case and AXA is among the top 25 companies in terms of cyber defense.
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However, the necessary change in awareness of cyber security is not yet taking place in all areas, and there is still a need for action, especially among SMEs, said National Councillor Maja Riniker and member of Sik-N: "It is therefore essential that, on the one hand, awareness and training of cyber risks is promoted, as the most common weak point is still the human being." On the other hand, there needs to be a certain destigmatization of those affected by cyber incidents, especially as there are now various contact points where professional advice can be obtained quickly in the event of a cyber incident.
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National Councillor Gerhard Andrey, also a member of the SiK-N, takes a similar view, but identifies an additional danger in the case of stolen data: "This is still far too little recognized today, because in the event of a data leak, it is not only the attacked company that suffers damage, but also all the people whose data has been stolen. The resulting collateral damage to companies and individuals is often simply accepted. For this reason, he wants to work in Parliament to ensure that this issue is taken seriously.
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The summary report with a detailed breakdown of the findings from the panel discussion can be found here.
The program with the panel guests can be found here.
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FORUM SICHERHEIT SCHWEIZ (FSS) can look back on a successful event and would like to thank all panel guests for the exciting discussion and the Swiss Cyber Security Days for their cooperation.
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