College of Information and Cyberspace - National Defense University

Calling all CIC alumni!

We invite graduates of the College of Information and Cyberspace’s Master of Science and graduate certificate programs to join our private CIC Alumni LinkedIn Group.

The group is a space to stay connected with fellow verified CIC alumni across the public and private sectors, engage in dialogue on issues shaping the cyberspace domain and information environment, and receive updates on CIC events and opportunities—including Cyber Beacon and our current call for nominations for the CIC Alumni Executive Board.

If you are a CIC alumnus or alumna and would like to remain engaged with the college and your fellow graduates, we encourage you to join the group.

🔗 Request to join the CIC Alumni LinkedIn Group:
https://lnkd.in/gN2Aky4m

We look forward to connecting with you.

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From National Strategy to Strategic Dialogue: Cyber Beacon 2026

In July 2025, the White House released America’s AI Action Plan, outlining how artificial intelligence is now central to U.S. economic competitiveness, national security, and global leadership. The plan calls for accelerating AI innovation, strengthening infrastructure, and deepening collaboration across government, industry, academia, and allies.

For the national security community, these priorities raise immediate questions—not just about technology, but about strategy, institutions, ethics, and ex*****on in an era of rapid and disruptive change.

It is within this context that the College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) at the National Defense University will host Cyber Beacon 2026.

Cyber Beacon is CIC’s flagship forum for examining how cyber, information, and emerging technologies—particularly AI—are reshaping warfare and national power. This year’s theme, Artificial Intelligence as a Strategic Advantage, is deliberately focused on the real-world implications of becoming AI-enabled at scale across operations, policy, and strategy.

Cyber Beacon 2026 will take place March 11 in Tampa—and online, in partnership with the University of South Florida, its Global and National Security Institute (GNSI), Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and the National Defense University Foundation.

If you’re working at the intersection of AI, cyber, information, and strategy, this is a conversation worth joining—and an example of how the National Defense University convenes leaders in support of a whole-of-nation approach to education and national security.

🔗 Register today:

Cyber Beacon 2026 Dive into the future of cybersecurity at Cyber Beacon, where experts will illuminate the path ahead. In-person & virtual tickets available!

We’re pleased to share that Cyber Beacon 2026—the flagship annual conference of the College of Information and Cyberspace at National Defense University—has been rescheduled for March 11, 2026.

This year’s conference will explore the theme “Cyber and Information Reimagined: Artificial Intelligence as a Strategic Advantage,” convening senior leaders and experts from across government, the military, academia, and industry.

Registration is now open for both in-person and virtual attendance:
🔗 https://cyberbeacon2026.eventbrite.com

We look forward to your participation!

Due to a lapse in federal funding, this account is not being actively updated or monitored.

📢 Keynote Announcement – Cyber Beacon 2025

We are excited to announce that Dr. James Giordano will deliver a keynote address at Cyber Beacon 2025, the flagship annual conference of the College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) at the National Defense University.

The Cognitive Edge – Information, AI, and Future Warfare

Big data and iterative forms of artificial intelligence (AI) are influencing the access to and effects of information, influencing individuals and collectives, and reshaping the balance of global power. This keynote will examine how the convergence of big data, AI, and manipulable information are (1) affecting human thought, emotions, and behavior, and (2) being leveraged in what is become known as “cognitive warfare.” It will explore how AI can accelerate decision-making, affect intelligence analysis, and amplify cognitive dominance, while raising ethical questions about the nature of human–machine integration and the character of future warfare. The keynote will propose recommended steps through which the joint warfighting force can develop more effective strategies to compete and sustain dominance in this evolving ecology of information-driven conflict.

About Dr. Giordano:

Dr. James Giordano is the Director of the Center for Disruptive Technology and Future Warfare of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at the National Defense University, Washington, DC, and Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Neurology and Biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC. Professor Giordano previously served as Senior Bioethicist of the Defense Medical Ethics Center, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences; Science Advisory Fellow of the SMA Branch, Joint Staff, Pentagon; Distinguished Stockdale Fellow in Science, Technology, and Ethics at the United States Naval Academy; Donovan Group Senior Fellow, US Special Operations Command; founding member of the Neuroethics, Legal, and Social Issues Advisory Panel of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); Task Leader of the Working Group on Dual-Use of the EU-Human Brain Project; and was an appointed member of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Secretary’s Advisory Committee for Human Research Protection (HHS-SACHRP). Prof. Giordano is the author of over 350 peer-reviewed publications, 10 books and 50 governmental reports on science, technology, and biosecurity, and is an elected member of the Hastings Center for Ethics; Fellow of the European Academy of Science and Arts; Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK); and a Fulbright Professorial Fellow. A former US Naval officer, he was a designated aerospace physiologist, and served with the US Navy and Marine Corps.

We look forward to his insights at Cyber Beacon 2025!

🗓 October 16, 2025

📍 Marshall Student Center, Tampa, FL (or virtual)

🔗 Register (free & open to the public - virtual and in-person tickets available!): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cyber-beacon-2025-tickets-1530073504039

Cyber Beacon 2025 is presented in partnership with the University of South Florida, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI), Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and the National Defense University Foundation.

📢 Cyber Beacon 2025 – Registration Open

Spotlight on Panel 5: Navigating Ethical Intersections – AI, Cyber, and Information.

Rapid AI adoption raises urgent ethical and legal questions around autonomy, accountability, and information integrity. This panel will bring together voices from ethics, policy, and strategy to explore frameworks that ensure innovation enhances security while preserving human values.

💡 Theme: Cyber and Information Reimagined – Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a Strategic Advantage

📅 October 16, 2025

📍 Marshall Student Center, Tampa, FL

🔗 Register: https://CyberBeacon2025.eventbrite.com

Presented in partnership with the University of South Florida, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI), Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and the National Defense University Foundation.

📢 Cyber Beacon 2025 – Registration Open

Spotlight on Panel 4: Currency, Code, and Conflict.

The financial domain is a contested front in modern conflict. Panelists will examine how adversaries exploit ransomware and cryptocurrencies, while exploring AI’s role in tracing blockchain transactions, countering cybercrime, and securing digital finance. The discussion will also consider the implications of Bitcoin on economic security and deterrence.

💡 Theme: Cyber and Information Reimagined – Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Strategic Advantage
📅 October 16, 2025
📍 Marshall Student Center, Tampa, FL
🔗 Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cyber-beacon-2025-tickets-1530073504039

Presented in partnership with the University of South Florida, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI), Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and the National Defense University Foundation.

📢 Cyber Beacon 2025 – Registration Open

Spotlight on Panel 3: A Whole-of-Nation Imperative.

National success in AI requires more than the military alone—it demands a whole-of-nation approach. This panel will examine how government, private industry, and academia can partner to accelerate innovation while safeguarding security, competitiveness, and trust.

💡 Theme: Cyber and Information Reimagined – Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Strategic Advantage
📅 October 16, 2025
📍 Marshall Student Center, Tampa, FL (virtual tickets available)
🔗 Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cyber-beacon-2025-tickets-1530073504039

Presented in partnership with the University of South Florida, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI), Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and the National Defense University Foundation.

📸 CIC Alumni Cookout at ACESS 2025

Last week, we were proud to host a casual CIC cookout on campus to welcome back our alumni attending the Alumni Continuing Education Security Seminar (ACESS)—National Defense University’s premier annual event for alumni engagement and lifelong learning in national security.

ACESS 2025 brought together distinguished NDU graduates from around the world for a week of high-level dialogue on global threats, strategic cooperation, and professional development. We’re grateful for the opportunity to gather informally with our CIC alumni, share stories, reconnect over good food!

ACESS is co-sponsored by the National Defense University and the National Defense University Foundation

📢 Cyber Beacon 2025 – Registration Open

Spotlight on Panel 2: The AI-Powered Battlefield.

AI is already reshaping the battlefield through autonomous platforms, predictive logistics, and enhanced command-and-control. This panel brings together commanders, technologists, and innovators to discuss real-world deployments, ethical challenges, and integration across the force.

💡 Theme: Cyber and Information Reimagined – Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Strategic Advantage
📅 October 16, 2025
📍 Marshall Student Center, Tampa, FL
🔗 Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cyber-beacon-2025-tickets-1530073504039

🤝 Presented in partnership with the University of South Florida, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI), Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and the National Defense University Foundation.

📢 Cyber Beacon 2025 – Registration Open

We’re kicking off our panel highlights with Panel 1: Information – Cognitive Dilemma or Decisive Advantage.

This session will explore how AI is transforming the information environment—fueling disinformation campaigns but also strengthening resilience and national security. Experts from cognitive science, strategy, and law will discuss how nations can turn the dilemmas of the digital age into decisive advantage.

💡 Theme: Cyber and Information Reimagined – Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a Strategic Advantage
📅 October 16, 2025
📍 Marshall Student Center, Tampa, FL
🔗 Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cyber-beacon-2025-tickets-1530073504039
🖥️ Visit our Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUvZt83Nk/

🤝 Presented in partnership with the University of South Florida, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI), Cyber Florida: The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and the National Defense University Foundation.

This week, students from the College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) at the National Defense University had the opportunity to attend class at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC), featuring a session led by Andy Walsh, Counselor for Diplomatic Technology and CIC Deputy Chancellor.

Special thanks to William Stephens, NFATC Director, for hosting us — and to Michele Markoff of the Cyber and Digital Policy (CDP) Bureau and Chris Crews from the Intelligence and Research (INR) Bureau for their excellent presentations!