Countering Hybrid Threats Against Critical Infrastructures

This proceedings volume presents a collection of articles from key practitioners from relevant areas with experience in critical infrastructure. The authors acknowledge that the responsibility for critical infrastructure protection is primarily a matter of international importance, hence a high degree of cross-border and cross-sectoral interdependencies must be coordinated or, where appropriate, legally harmonized efforts at the international level, including the smooth functioning of the internal policies. The book focuses on countering hybrid threats that render critical infrastructures vulnerable. An understanding of such threats will render critical infrastructure safe, secure, and resilient.

The protection of national critical infrastructures, as well as of the functions and services critical to the proper functioning of society is a key priority and requires a new unique and strategic approach. Work in this direction must consider the strong interdependencies between the various critical functions and services, including financial services, the key role of the private sector, the changing security environment, and emerging risks, both in the physical and cyber fields. In addition to legal requirements, agreements should be promoted with private sector infrastructure and service owners and operators to ensure the continuity of and access to critical services, including beyond force majeure, by ensuring an acceptable level of preparedness to respond. all relevant threats, as well as the flexibility to address and mitigate the effects of low-probability, high-impact events.

Assoc. Prof. Dorin Radu, PhD is Associate Professor at Faculty of Civil Engineering from Transilvania University of Brașov, where, from 2020 he is Vice Dean for Research. He received PhD in civil engineering from Polytechnical University of Timișoara, having as cotutors prof. Radu Băncilă and prof. Aleksandar Sedmak from University of Belgrade. Since 2003 he holds courses at faculty of Civil Engineering from Brașov in different fields but mostly in static and stability of the structures, theory of elasticity and plasticity, steel structures and building information modelling. He is a specialist in structural integrity and has many contributions in research directions dealing with assessment of buildings, neural networks applied in civil engineering, new materials for sustainable constructions, environmental protection and energy saving. He is author of more than 60 scientific papers, from which 25 published in renowned scientific journals – Q1 and Q2 quartiles. He is director or member for several research projects which are dealing with structures assessment, materials behaviour and sustainability. He participated to a large number of conferences, also as a keynote speaker, where he presented his research, the results being chosen to be published in renowned scientific journals. He is member of European Structural Integrity Association and has been invited to held lectures at several Universities from Romania, Serbia and Croatia. He is member in national technical committees for normative and standards where he added contributions to developing and adapting national standards in civil engineering field. He is organizer, editor and reviewer for international conferences and reputed international journals.

Prof. Mirsada Hukić MD, PhD is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Sarajevo and is a specialist in Microbiology and Immunology, with a sub-specialization in Virology. Prof. Hukić has more than 40 years of intense experience in the clinical diagnosis of infectious diseases as well as researching the ecology, physiology, and genetics of microorganisms, relationships between different kinds of living organisms as well as the role of microorganisms in the processes that are useful and harmful to the life on Earth. Emerging, re-emerging pathogens and new diseases have a special place in her research work. Her research during an extraordinary war period in Bosnia and Herzegovina had great scientific success in the field of Hantaviruses. During the epidemic of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Bosnia and Herzegovina, her results showed that at least two different hantaviruses each carried by a different rodent species circulated in the area: the murine Dobrava (DOB), and the avricoline Puumala (PUU) viruses. At the same time, she has isolated a new variant of Hantan - Dobrava virus, named Tuzla 43 from the Apodemus flavicolis trapped near the town of Tuzla. During her research Sandfly – Pappatachi Fever in Bosnia and Herzegovina, new Flavivirus-specific genomes were detected utilizing a hemi-nested PCR approach in Sandfly, collected in Herzegovina. The COVID-19 epidemic has been a major challenge for all healthcare professionals. Within the Department of Medical Sciences of ANUBiH, Prof Hukić initiated establishing the Center for Disease Control and Geo-health Studies. The center has achieved outstanding results in the temporal and spatial monitoring of the epidemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the study of the genetics of SARS.CoV-2 and immune mechanisms during COVID-19, the transmission of infection between pets and humans, etc. A geoportal was established on the ANUBIH website, which was useful to citizens and health professionals. As a coordinator and/or partner she was involved in 22 different scientific projects. She has published 128 scientific papers. In addition, she has presented the results of her work at over 225 conferences worldwide. She is an author and co-author of 12 books. She also reviewed numerous books, manuscripts, papers, and projects. She made significant networking contacts with colleagues around the world. She is a member of many scientific societies and a representative in the EU Program Committee Health HORIZON 2020/EUROPE. She made significant networking contacts with colleagues around the world and is a member of many scientific societies like European Network for Diagnostics of "Imported" Viral Diseases, the European Wildlife Disease Association, International Federation of Infection Control, the Bosnian representative in the EU Program Committee FP7- Health Research, “Focal point” in the B&H for the European center for disease control, and the World Health Organization in the areas of flu, measles, and resistance to antibiotics. For her work, she has received many awards and acknowledgments. Finally, she is the president and volunteer at Special Olympics in B&H. With the B&H team, she went to the 4th Special Olympics games, and at every Special Olympics, the B&H team has won a few medals gold, silver, or bronze.

Prof. Dr. Ashok Vaseashta is the Chief Researcher for the International Clean Water Institute in Virginia, USA. In addition, he serves as a Visiting Professor at Riga Technical University, Chaired Professor of Nanotechnology at the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Academician at the Euro-Mediterranean Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Senior Strategic Research Advisor for several organizations. Inspired by nature and guided by societal necessities, he strives for innovations to address global challenges of the 21st century, such as the environment, human safety and security, and sustainability using advanced technological solution platforms. He is a scholar, dedicated futurist, and visionary leader who provides strategic leadership to promote and advance research initiatives and priorities using data-driven decisions. He received PhD from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA in 1990 followed by Kobe's post-doctoral fellowship. Following his PhD, he served as a professor and researcher at Virginia Tech and Marshall University. He also served as the Director of Research at the Institute for Advanced Sciences Convergence and the International Clean Water Institute for Norwich University Applied Research Institutes. Before his current position, he served as Vice Provost for Research at the Molecular Science Research Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He served as a visiting professor at the 3 Nano-SAE Research Centre, University of Bucharest, Romania, and a visiting scientist at the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center of Nanoscale Science at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. He served the U.S. Department of State in two rotations, as strategic S&T advisor and U.S. diplomat.  His research interests span nanotechnology, environmental/ecological science, and safety and security. His nanotechnology research has improved the understanding, design, and performance of nanofibers and sensors/detectors, mainly for applications such as wearable electronics, target drug delivery, detection of biomarkers, and toxicity of nano and xenobiotic materials. In the security arena, he has worked on counterterrorism, countering unconventional warfare and hybrid threats, critical infrastructure protection, biosecurity, dual-use research concerns, and mitigating hybrid threats including fake news. In addition, he has made numerous contributions to environmental/ecological science including directing research for the International Clean Water Institute, pollution monitoring, contamination detection and remediation, and sustainability through green nanotechnology. He has authored over 350 research publications, edited/authored seventeen books on nanotechnology and the environment, presented many keynotes, and invited lectures worldwide. He serves on the editorial board of several highly reputed international journals. He is an active member of several national and international professional organizations. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, Institute of Nanotechnology, and the New York Academy of Sciences. He has earned several other fellowships and awards for his meritorious service including the 2004/2005 Distinguished Artist and Scholar award.