Program & Presentations
  • 2016-04-26
    Day One
  • 2016-04-27
    Day Two
  • 2016-04-28
    Day Three
19:00 - 20:00
Registration
20:00 - 20:10
Recitation of the Holy Qur’an
20:10 - 20:40
Inaugural Session
Speakers:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Prof. Abdullah Alghamdi</span>
Prof. Abdullah Alghamdi
Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee,

Prof. Abdullah Alghamdi is a full time professor, SWE Department, College of Computer and Information Sciences, KSU, Riyadh, KSA.

Moreover, Prof. Abdullah is currently the chairman of Software Engineering Department, KSU and Director of the national C4I Center for Advanced Systems (C4ICAS).

Prof. Abdullah worked as a full and part time consultant with governmental and private organizations in the field of IS strategic planning and defense systems and headed a number of committees inside and outside KSU. He recently published a number of papers in the field C4I and Enterprise Architecture Frameworks.

He holds a Ph.D. in Software Engineering from the department of computer science, Sheffield University, UK, 1997. He got a Post-Doc certificate from University of Ottawa, Canada, where he conducted a joint research at the MCRLab during academic year 2004/5.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>H.E. Dr. Badran Al-omar</span>
H.E. Dr. Badran Al-omar
Rector, King Saud University
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>H.E. Dr. Ahmed Bin Mohamad Al-Issa</span>
H.E. Dr. Ahmed Bin Mohamad Al-Issa
Minister, Ministry of Education

H.E. Dr. Ahmed Bin Mohamad Al-Issa is the Minister of Education in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.H.E. Dr. Al-Issa holds several positions, most notably:

  • Advisor and Board Member at Misk Foundation- Riyadh from 1/8/1433 H till now.
  • Vice Chairman at Riyadh Schools from 1/9/1433 H till now.
  • Member of the International Commission for Quality Assurance in Higher Education in the free zones in Dubai. From March 2008 until now.

H.E. previously held several positions including:

  • Director General of Strategic Studies at the Royal Court - from 14 \ 11 \ 1433 H until 14 \ 7 \ 1433 H.
  • Director of Al Yamamah University from 8/2/2008 till 31/12/2009.
  • Dean of Riyadh College of Technology 1/7/1418H till 15/8/1422

H.E. Dr. Al-Issa holds a PHD of Philosophy in Education and a Master’s Degree in Education from Pennsylvania State University , USA.He was also awarded a certificate in Advanced Leadership Management Program from Oxford University on April 2009.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>H.E. Dr. Mohammed I. Al-Suwaiyel</span>
H.E. Dr. Mohammed I. Al-Suwaiyel
Minister, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

H.E. Dr. Mohammed I. Al-Suwaiyel is the Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia since January 29th 2015.

President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology from July, 1st, 2007 till January 2015

Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission from March 2003 till June 2007.

Vice President for Research Institutes at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) from 1990 to 2003.

A Professor and Dean of the Computer Science and Engineering College at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) from 1979 till 1990.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'> H.E Staff Lieutenant General Abdul Rahman Bin Saleh AlBanyan</span>
H.E Staff Lieutenant General Abdul Rahman Bin Saleh AlBanyan
Chairman of the General Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces

الفريق أول ركن عبد الرحمن بن صالح البنيان هو رئيس هيئة الأركان العامة للقوات المسلحة السعودية.

قبل توليه قيادة الأركان، تدرج في مناصب عدة أبرزها:

  • ضابط معلم
  • قائد فصيل الأجهزة
  • ضابط عمليات وإشارة
  • ركت تعليم
  • مساعد مدير عام مكتب سمو ولي العهد نائب رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الدفاع والطيران والمفتش العام.

الفريق الركن البنيان حائز على شهادة بكالوريوس العلوم العسكرية من كلية الملك عبد العزيز الحرية بالرياض، و بكالوريوس علوم إدارية من جامعة الملك سعود و ماجستير علوم عسكرية من كلية القيادة والأركان بالرياض.

تدرج في دورات عدة أبرزها دورة استخبارات إستراتيجية وتكتيكية، دورة دفاع دولية، و دورة قيادة وأركان.

حائز على أوسمة وميداليات عدة أهمها:

  • وسام الملك عبد العزيز من الدرجة الممتازة.
  • وسام التقدير العسكري الأميركي لدرجة ضابط .
  • وسام الاستحقاق من أميركا.
  • وسام تحرير الكويت الكويتي.
  • نوط درع الجزيرة.
20:40 - 20:50
Opening Speech of the patron of the conference
20:50 - 21:00
Award Ceremony
21:00 - 22:00
Exhibition Tour
08:00 - 09:00
Registration
09:00 - 12:00
Session 1: C4I applications and technologies
09:00 - 09:30
Keynote 1: Futuristic view of C4I systems in civil and defense -- Requirements and road map
Topics:
  • Command and Control in military, civil and industrial applications
  • Challenges concerning the deployment of C4I systems
  • Managing exigent situations like state emergencies, civil wars and allied wars, natural and technological disasters, etc.
  • New trends in C4I applications.
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Brig. Gen. Khalid Al-Ayed</span>
Brig. Gen. Khalid Al-Ayed
Director of the Electronic Systems Center, Communications & Information Technology, Royal Saudi Air Force,
  • عمل منذ تخرجه وحتى الآن في مجال الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات بالقوات الجوية ولديه خبرة 22 سنة في شبكات الاتصالات وإدارة المشاريع التقنية والهندسية وشبكات الوسائط المتعددة والاتصالات السلكية واللاسلكية.
  • يعمل حاليا مدير مركز الأنظمة الإلكترونية بادارة الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات بالقوات الجوية.
  • ضابط مشروع حزام التعاون بالمملكة العربية السعودية.
  • لديه خبرات قيادية أشرف على عدد من مشاريع البنى التحتية والاتصالات بالقوات الجوية.
  • عضو في فريق العمل المشارك في إعداد متطلبات منظومة القيادة والسيطرة (C4I) وكذلك وصلة الربط-16
  • الحضور والمشاركة بعدة مؤتمرات دولية في مجال شبكات الاتصالات السلكية واللاسلكية والإدارة وأنظمة الألياف البصرية وتقنية الأقمار الصناعية.
  • المشاركة في اجتماعات الاتحاد الدولي للاتصالات (ITU) في جنيف لمدة ثمان سنوات في مجال شبكات الاتصالات الراديوية والإشارات الهاتفية والشبكة الذكية.
  • عضو في فريق العمل المشارك في إعداد الخطة الوطنية للطيف الترددي بالمملكة العربية السعودية.
  • عضو لجنة تطوير مناهج كلية الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات.
  • عضو اللجنة التنظيمية لمؤتمر الجمعية الأول ( المؤتمر الدولي لتقنيات الاتصالات (2010.

العميد المهندس خالد بن محمد سالم العايد حاصل على درجة البكالوريوس فى الهندسة الكهربائية من جامعة الملك سعود و على درجة الماجستير في علوم هندسة الاتصالات من جامعة فاندربلت بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية و على درجة الماجستير في إدارة الأعمال (MBA) من جامعة ليستر البريطانية، إضافة إلى دبلوم بعدد من الدورات التخصصية الداخلية والخارجية المكثفة في مجالات هندسة الاتصالات والشبكات و إدارة المشاريع

09:30 - 10:00
Keynote 2: Challenges and prospects of solutions through C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems.
Topics:
  • Big data analytics, smart event monitoring, situation awareness, resource management and decision support operations.
  • Artificial intelligence, robotics and unmanned vehicles
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. Zaidan Alenezi, D.E.</span>
Dr. Zaidan Alenezi, D.E.
Cybersecurity Expert,

Dr. Zaidan Alenezi is one of the founding members of the NCSC during the early establishing of the center.

Dr. Zaidan has 15 years of experience within the information technology industry and among early advocates to use structured intelligence in exchanging cyber security threat information.

Dr. Zaidan Alenezi is currently involved and mainly interested in bringing insights and intelligence using big data analytics for informed decisions. Before leaving the NCSC, Dr. Zaidan Alenezi was managing the strategy, critical national infrastructure (CNI) engagement and information sharing.

Dr. Zaidan Alenezi holds a B.S. in electrical engineering, M.S. in telecommunications and doctorate of engineering in engineering management.

10:00 - 10:30
Keynote 3: Concerns and prospects of integrating heterogeneous C4I systems.
Topics:
  • Need for integration of heterogeneous C4I systems.
  • Challenges and concerns related to integrating different C4I systems
  • Challenges posed by interoperability in the C4I Systems
  • Architecture frameworks
  • Communication challenges: protocol, bandwidth, QoS, etc.,
  • Prospects of Cloud Services in C4I System
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. John Mark Pullen</span>
Dr. John Mark Pullen
Director of the Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications, Computing, and Intelligence (C4I), George Mason University,

Dr. Pullen is Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence (C4I) and Cyber. He has been with GMU since 1992, during which time he has served as Principal Investigator for 49 research projects with total budget over $17 million and taught 57 sections of 12 different courses. His doctorate in Computer Science is from George Washington University; he also holds degrees in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia University.

Previously he was a Program Manager at DARPA and an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the US Military Academy West Point, NY.

Dr. Pullen’s research interests include networked multimedia applications, emphasizing command and control, and networked education and training, distributed virtual simulation, and interoperation of command and control with simulations.

In the last named area he serves as Co-­‐Chair of the SISO Product Development group

For C2SIM.

Dr. Pullen is a Fellow of the IEEE, Fellow of the ACM, and licensed

Professional Engineer.

He received the IEEE Harry Diamond Memorial Award and the Defense Superior Service Award and was a leader in the team that received the NATO Scientific Achievement Award for 2013.

10:30 - 11:00
Networking Break
11:00 - 12:00
Panel: Modern C4I systems: state of the art and future
Topics:
  • Discussion of modern and futuristic C4I applications and technologies
  • Big data analytics, smart event monitoring, situation awareness, resource management and decision support operations.
  • Artificial intelligence, robotics and unmanned vehicles.
  • R&D opportunities for developing future C4I systems
Moderator:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Ret. Maj. Gen. Saeed Alhaznawi</span>
Ret. Maj. Gen. Saeed Alhaznawi
C2 Systems Consultant

Saeed Saad Alhaznawi Alghamedi is a retired Major General pilot from The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). His scientific qualifications is a master degree in Military, graduated from The Royal College of Defense Study (RCDS,UK). MG Alhaznawi has a background experience as a fighter pilot and instructor of basic and advance pilot training. Also, he was assigned in several positions in RSAF (as weapons and tactics instructor, squadron operation officer, squadron commander of fighter squadron, director of armament and munitions, director of operations and plans, director of command and operations center, assistance of base commander, base commander of prince sultan air base, commander of central sector, and finally as inspector general of The Royal Saudi Air Force). Also, he was assigned as director and manager of several of RSAF major projects.

MG Alhaznawi active now as KACST consultant, set in C4icas advisory board, SAU advisory board and member in Alkharj city council.

Panelists:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Suhaimee Abu Hassan</span>
Mr. Suhaimee Abu Hassan
CEO and Founder, XYBASE

Suhaimee Abu Hassan is the CEO and Founder of XYBASE Inc. He started his career in IBM, 33 years ago, specializing in Application Sourcing and Development. After 9 years in IBM, he spent the next 2 years focusing on Military applications, Integration and promoting the concept of C4i in Malaysia.

In 1992, XYBASE was established, to mainly focus on Large Scale Integration, specializing in e-Government. However, in 1995, XYBASE became the largest Systems contractor for the development of KL International Airport.

Since then, XYBASE have been a very active player in the Airport scene and now leading in the development of the Next Generation Systems and Airport Command (Operations, Digital Security and Physical Security) Centers.

This involves an even broader base Integration for Data and Video Analytics, which is crucial in not just Operational and Commercial efficiencies but to also work in conjunction with all Security Agencies and Bodies to develop a more pre-emptive threat assessment and analysis for very crucial facilities such as the Airport.

XYBASE is also involved in certain Security and Surveillance technology and applications for the Military, Police and Intelligence community.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. Mike Papay</span>
Dr. Mike Papay
Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Northrop Grumman

Michael Papay is vice president and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Northrop Grumman, delivering the company’s international information security program. In this role, he is responsible for strategy and vision for the company’s global computer and network information security systems; defining companywide policies for information security; and enhancing the security of Northrop Grumman’s products, services and infrastructure.

Dr. Papay has 29 years of experience with Northrop Grumman developing engineering solutions for the US Department of Defense and intelligence community, including intercontinental ballistic missiles; missile defense systems; command and control systems; networking solutions; satellite and ground systems; airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms; modeling and simulation programs; military training tools; and cybersecurity solutions.

Dr. Papay is an internationally recognized expert in the modeling and simulation (M&S) field. He has written numerous papers, managed large programs, developed coursework and contributed to the congressional M&S caucus. He served on the 2012 US Homeland Security Advisory Council’s (HSAC) Task Force on Cyber Skills and he currently serves on cyber and engineering advisory boards for several universities.

Dr. Papay has a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Stephen N. Burke</span>
Mr. Stephen N. Burke
Vice President, Textron AirLand LLC

Stephen N. Burke is a Vice President representing Textron AirLand LLC for the Scorpion ISR / Strike aircraft program. He is a retired nuclear trained naval officer, skilled in coalition air and missile defense operations and with extensive government and industry experience in large scale integration and development of command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR), and aerospace technologies.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Franck Mitchell</span>
Mr. Franck Mitchell
Corporate Dir. Cloud Computing & Data Strategy, International Programs Chief Scientist, Leidos

Mr. Mitchell is the Leidos Corporate, Director of Cloud Computing and Data Strategy.  He is an experienced, energetic and action oriented executive with national and international expertise in advanced and next generation technologies including C4ISR&T, cloud computing and big data analytics, mobile and sensor technologies. His roles in Leidos include solution and product development and integration engineering and management of advanced and next generation technology capabilities.

Prior to joining Leidos, Mr. Mitchell was an entrepreneur working with both the commercial and defense industry leaders providing technical, development, operational and engineering support, Integrated C4ISR and joint time-sensitive/critical targeting solutions, next generation targeting system architecture, including Weapons Target Pairing (WTP) and Tactical Effects Based Operations (EBO) capabilities.  He also served as Technical Director for Combating Terrorism within the Department of Defense and cross-agency collaboration to include International, Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement.

Mr. Mitchell had leadership positions in Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics.  During his tenure, he was a recognized expert for Operational, Systems and Technical Advanced C4ISR&T, Intelligence Operations and Tactical Intelligence architectures, requirements definition, interpretation and development, product and application development.

Prior to entering the industry, Mr. Mitchell served in the United States Navy for 15 years, and is a Decorated, Service-Connected Combat Veteran with land, sea and air assignment deployments across the globe to include frontline and special assignments, in support of Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia, Desert Shield and Desert Storm and elsewhere to include several Joint, Multinational and Coalition Force assignments.

Mr. Mitchell received his Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of San Diego in Mathematics.

12:00 - 12:30
Noon Prayer & Networking Break
12:30 - 14:30
Session 2: Development, integration, testing and training of C4I Systems
12:30 - 13:00
Keynote 4: The Concept of C4I
Topics:
  • C2 Elements (personals, equipment, communication. Facilities, procedures )
  • C2 Functions (plan , coordinate, direct, control, operations and organization)
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Obeid</span>
Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Obeid
Director, National Defense Operations Center, Ministry of Defense,

اللواء الطيار الركن سعد آل عبيد هو مدير مركز عمليات الدفاع الوطني في وزارة الدفاع في المملكة العربية السعودية.

تخرج من كلية الملك فيصل الجوية، وعين ضابط طيار برتبة ملازم في القوات الجوية الملكية السعودية، بتاريخ 28/8/ 1406 هـ.

تولى عدة مناصب خلال فترة خدمته أبرزها:

  • ركن التموين في مدرسة العمليات الجوية المشتركة.
  • ركن التعليم في مدرسة العمليات الجوية المشتركة.
  • قائد مدرسة العمليات الجوية المشتركة.

تدرج في دورات عدة أبرزها، دورة أركان، دورة كبار القادة، ودورة العمليات الجوية المشتركة.

13:00 - 13:30
Keynote 5: Challenges facing the training and development of the C4I localization
Topics:
  • The concept of technology transfer and localization
  • Technology transfer and localization approaches
  • Challenges
  • The DoD experience in C4I technology transfer and localization
  • Lessons learned
  • Recommendations
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Brig. Gen. Abdulaziz Alhaidary</span>
Brig. Gen. Abdulaziz Alhaidary
Director of Training Center, CSIT, Ministry of Defense,

في عام 1988 حصل على درجة البكالوريوس في مجال علوم الحاسب من جامعة الملك عبد العزيز بجدة.
التحق للعمل بوزارة الدفاع في عام  1989 .
في عام 1989 عين كضابط معلم وشارك في اعداد بعض المناهج المتخصصة حتى عام 2002 .
انتقل إلى إدارة شؤون الضباط وعمل كمدير لقسم الاتصالات الإدارية من عام 2003 حتى عام  2006.
بعد ذلك انتقل إلى إدارة مشروع القيادة والسيطرة والاتصالات والحاسب الآلي والاستخبارات للقوات المسلحة وعمل بقسم التدريب وأشرف على البرامج التالية:
برنامج محللي النظم
برنامج المشاركة الصناعية
برنامج تدريب المدربين
عين مديرا لمركز التدريب بهيئة الاتصالات وأمن وتقنية المعلومات وحتى تاريخه.

13:30 - 14:30
Panel: Data and knowledge management in C4I systems
Topics:
  • Importance of data and knowledge management in C4I systems.
  • Metrics to assess the trust management in sharing data.
  • Effective mechanisms to detect, collect and instrumentation of data
Moderator:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. Zaidan Alenezi, D.E.</span>
Dr. Zaidan Alenezi, D.E.
Cybersecurity Expert

Dr. Zaidan Alenezi is one of the founding members of the NCSC during the early establishing of the center.

Dr. Zaidan has 15 years of experience within the information technology industry and among early advocates to use structured intelligence in exchanging cyber security threat information.

Dr. Zaidan Alenezi is currently involved and mainly interested in bringing insights and intelligence using big data analytics for informed decisions. Before leaving the NCSC, Dr. Zaidan Alenezi was managing the strategy, critical national infrastructure (CNI) engagement and information sharing.

Dr. Zaidan Alenezi holds a B.S. in electrical engineering, M.S. in telecommunications and doctorate of engineering in engineering management.

Panelists:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. Ahmed Bakhsh</span>
Dr. Ahmed Bakhsh
Director International Science and Technology, Lockheed Martin

​Dr. Ahmed Bakhsh is the Director of International Science and Technology managing joint R&D projects with leading international universities and research organizations with the objectives of transferring and developing organic capabilities in advanced technologies and applied sciences. In addition, Dr. Bakhsh is directing Lockheed Martin’s state-of-the-art Center for Innovation and Security Solutions.  Dr. Bakhsh has joined Lockheed Martin after a successful tenure managing international strategies and business development initiatives in aerospace, defense and security.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Dr. Bakhsh has provided leadership in developing strategies and business initiatives for Raytheon in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with focus on Integrated Air Missile Defense, C4ISR, and Maritime Surveillance. In addition, he has managed system architecture engineering and development efforts for the unmanned autonomous Battle Command and Mission Execution System for the US DoD

Prior to joining Raytheon, Dr. Bakhsh has managed all aspects of business development, program management and operations for ITT-Exelis to deliver mission-critical Tactical Communication solutions to Saudi Arabia National Guard. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Bakhsh has assumed senior and executive level responsibilities as a consultant in Kuwait and Qatar. He has initiated and managed implementation of several industrial and manufacturing programs with focus on technology transfer as well as M&A initiatives for various clients within GCC such as KAMCO Investment Co. and SADAFCO. Dr. Bakhsh has also served as a consultant for advanced manufacturing for Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) in Doha, Qatar.

Prior to international ventures, Dr. Bakhsh had gained more than a decade of experience in the US in R&D, engineering, and project management in information technology, defense, aerospace, and manufacturing. For example, Dr. Bakhsh has designed and engineered components and systems for B-2 bomber, F-22, F-16, ABI Satellite, manufacturing and production automation machines, and tools.

Dr. Bakhsh has served from 1985 to 1990 in the US Marines in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and Millington NAS, Tennessee.

Dr. Bakhsh has a PhD and a Master’s of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from University of Texas at Arlington. He has completed his bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. Ahmed Shabana</span>
Dr. Ahmed Shabana
Smarter Government Leader, IBM

Dr. Shabana is the Smart Government leader at IBM, Saudi Arabia.

In his role he helps government and public sector entities meet the increasing quality of service and efficiency expectations of the public by leveraging IBM’s industry leading solutions.

As a Partner in a “Big 4 “ firm Dr. Shabana has lead large transformation projects for more than 15 years in Europe and the US. He has recently moved back to the Middle East to focus on the Public Safety and Utilities sectors.

He holds a Ph.D. in IT Management from UCLA and has taught at Texas A&M University before transitioning into consulting. His specialization is Information Security and system assurance.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Tarik Reyes</span>
Mr. Tarik Reyes
Vice President, Missile Defense and Protective Systems

Tarik Reyes is vice president, for the Missile Defense and Protective Systems (MDPS) division within the Northrop Grumman Mission Systems sector. He is responsible for global business development growth for the entire MDPS division portfolio. He leads tactical strategy discussions with key stakeholders, qualifies the division’s robust pipeline and prioritizes the critical resources required for key pursuits.

Most recently, Mr. Reyes was vice president of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) division within the former Information Systems sector. The IAMD division provided integrated air, space and missile defense solutions to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the U.S. Army for the national security of the U.S. and its International allies.

Mr. Reyes’ prior assignment was director of the Civil Information Solutions operating unit (OU) within the IS sector’s Civil division, where he oversaw all areas of the OU’s business, including program delivery, strategy, execution, sustainment and growth. Earlier, he was director of Business Development for the former Federal and Defense Technologies and Civil Systems divisions, responsible for all areas of business development strategy, execution, sustainment and growth in the civil federal and select defense markets.

Mr. Reyes was director of vertical solutions, voice and data for the Secure Enterprise Communications operating unit. In this position, he led public safety programs in mission critical voice and data, situational awareness, next generation 911, mission critical wireless networks, supply chain management, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. He also served as director of strategy and solutions for the commercial, state, and local business unit. Mr. Reyes joined Northrop Grumman from Microsoft Corporation’s Consulting Services organization, where he worked as a services executive. He has also held positions with Visalign Corp and Bechtel Corporation, where his work focused on consulting with commercial nuclear and fossil power companies.

Mr. Reyes earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, in nuclear engineering and a secondary field in mechanical engineering. Mr. Reyes was nominated and selected for induction into the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Association and awarded the Saint Barbara Medal. He was inducted into the Order of the Engineers in 1994, has participated in the American Nuclear Society as well as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has also completed executive leadership courses in strategy at University of Chicago Booth School of Business and finance at the University Of Virginia Darden School Of Business.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Keith Markham</span>
Mr. Keith Markham
Senior Operations Trainer, Al Diriyah Program

Keith Markham is a 20-year veteran of the United States Army where he served as an Armor Officer.  He has served three combat tours in Iraq as well as been stationed in both Korea and Germany.  Keith has held multiple Joint Billets and has participated in many combined exercises with U.S. Allies and Partners.  

He served as the Executive Officer of 4-9 IN at Fort Lewis WA where he worked extensively with Stryker vehicles and their C4I system as well as the “Land Warrior” man portable C4ISR system which the battalion fielded, trained on, and subsequently took to combat in Iraq.  His last military job was as the Chief of Operations for the Joint Maneuver Training Center in Hohenfels Germany where he was in charge of planning and executing all simulations and field exercises.

Upon retirement from the Army, Mr. Merkham served as the Raytheon Country Manager for Iraq supervising 500 employees conducting nineteen military training tasks in six separate locations. He spent last year working for Vinnell Arabia as the Senior Exercise Planner and Controller supporting the Ministry of National Guard.  He currently works as the Senior Operations Trainer on the Al Diriyah Program.

14:30 - 15:30
Lunch & End of Day 2
08:00 - 09:00
Registration
09:00 - 11:30
Session 1: Technology and knowledge exchange, building local capabilities and localization for C4I
09:00 - 09:30
Keynote 6: Bootstrapping C4I research and academic programs
Topics:
  • Boosting C4I research and development initiatives
  • The prospects for specialized academic tracks or programs in C4I
  • Role of academia in knowledge and technology transfer and creating local capabilities in C4I and Cyber
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Prof. Abdullah Alghamdi</span>
Prof. Abdullah Alghamdi
Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee,

Prof. Abdullah Alghamdi is a full time professor, SWE Department, College of Computer and Information Sciences, KSU, Riyadh, KSA.

Moreover, Prof. Abdullah is currently the chairman of Software Engineering Department, KSU and Director of the national C4I Center for Advanced Systems (C4ICAS).

Prof. Abdullah worked as a full and part time consultant with governmental and private organizations in the field of IS strategic planning and defense systems and headed a number of committees inside and outside KSU. He recently published a number of papers in the field C4I and Enterprise Architecture Frameworks.

He holds a Ph.D. in Software Engineering from the department of computer science, Sheffield University, UK, 1997. He got a Post-Doc certificate from University of Ottawa, Canada, where he conducted a joint research at the MCRLab during academic year 2004/5.

09:30 - 10:00
Keynote 7: Organizational concepts and approaches of C4I
Topics:
  • Design and implementation concerns of C4I in different sectors.
  • Effective management and governance of C4I systems
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Mark Goodwin</span>
Mr. Mark Goodwin
Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology,

Mark Goodwin is the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The mission of the Hume Center is to cultivate the next generation of national security leaders by developing and executing curricular, extracurricular, and research opportunities to engage students. Defense research focuses around command, control, communications, computation, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) and counter-C4ISR domains such as electronic warfare (EW) and cyber warfare. Intelligence related research emphasis is on signals intelligence (SIGINT) and computer network operations (CNO), including a wide range of disciplines such as signal interception and collection, cyber espionage, and the big data challenges of intelligence analysis.

Before joining Virginia Tech, Mr. Goodwin spent 13 years at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Specializing in cyber security, signal processing, and visual analytics technologies, he was accomplished in all phases of technology innovation, intellectual property capture and protection, advanced product development, and market introduction for strategic business development outcomes.

Mr. Goodwin is known for leveraging a deep network of executive level resources within the confluence of business, finance, and technology to successfully execute technology and business plans. A practitioner of public and private partnerships, he was twice nationally recognized for excellence in technology transfer and instrumental in founding eight development-stage enterprises and fostering commercial introduction. Prior to his work at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Goodwin worked for 20 years as an entrepreneur and business development expert in Silicon Valley. He is a graduate of University of California at Berkeley.

10:00 - 10:30
Networking Break
10:30 - 11:30
Panel: Local perspectives of globalizing C4I systems
Topics:
  • Technology and knowledge transfer
  • Customization of C4I technologies to meet regional needs
  • Issues related to entrepreneurship: innovation, intellectual property, incubation, etc.
  • Government, academia and industry role for boosting C4I research and creating local capabilities in C4I.
Moderator:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Eng. Mike Small, CEng</span>
Eng. Mike Small, CEng
C4ISR Engineer, AVANTI
Panelists:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Andrew McAleer</span>
Mr. Andrew McAleer
Director, 3SDL

Andrew (Andy) undertook a successful 22 year engagement in the Royal Air Force, specialising in Air Battle Management (ABM), Air Command and Control (Air C2) and Joint C4I. Throughout his career, Andy took on some challenging Operational roles, ranging from the Air Defence of the UK, to various operational C4I deployments throughout the world, including a high profile military exchange tour as a C4I instructor with the United States Marine Corps (USMC), where he was awarded 2 United States medals for outstanding service.

As well as spending a great deal of time deployed operationally, Andy undertook a number of training and staff appointments, as well as 2 Command tours; towards the end of his RAF career, as a dedicated C4I expert working in the Air Warfare Centre, Andy played a leading role in testing and developing UK, US, and NATO C4I systems, with a particular emphasis on technical and operational interoperability, including multi-level security environments, data management, and sensor-to-shooter analysis.

On leaving the RAF, he set up his own C4I consultancy business (AMc4i Limited) delivering highly successful consultancy advice to both the United States Government and the UK Ministry of Defence (UK MoD). Such was the success of AMc4i, that it was acquired by 3SDL; Andy was hired as Director C4ISR, tasked with growing and delivering this emerging market segment for 3SDL. In the 6 years since Andy joined the company, he has played a key part in 3SDL's growth from £600k to over £7m turnover, helping the company successfully win and deliver multi-year, multi-discipline C4I contracts; these have ranged from Airborne ISR Services and Remote Sensing, to government acquisition support roles in £200m+ C4I procurement programs.

With Andy's drive and leadership, 3SDL has grown its presence and success in the MENA Region where the company has won, and is successfully delivering, a number of challenging C4I, Tactical Data Link (TDL), and ISR contracts. Such has been the company's growth here, that Andy was tasked with setting up a MENA Regional Office, which is now based in the UAE; this has allowed much closer contact with regional customers, and is making a significant contribution to 3SDL's continued success.

Andy lives in Abu Dhabi with his wife; his 2 children work in the UK, but visit very often!

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Colonel (Ret) Carl Williamson</span>
Colonel (Ret) Carl Williamson
Director, Business Development – Saudi Arabia, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Colonel (Retired) Carl Williamson has been selected Director, Business Development, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Northrop Grumman Information Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation. Col (Ret) Williamson came to Northrop Grumman after two years of service with SRA International as the Vice President and Account Executive for the company’s United States Air Force business strategy. Colonel (Ret) Carl Williamson’s last assignment, prior to retirement, was as the Commander, Air Force Communications Agency, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The Agency is the Air Force's center of excellence for command, control, communications, computers and information technology. It leads the Air Force in information infrastructure optimization, and enterprise management and improvement. It deploys C4 strike teams to assure and enhance Air Force network combat power. It drives innovation for information superiority, and exploits and certifies new technologies and systems. The Agency serves as the Air Force’s communications force structure and policy expert, and has the sole Air Force IT law and history specialists. He also serves as the director of Plans and Requirements for the provisional Air Force Cyber Command. His directorate is responsible for development of command program plans, requirements, policies, and operations.

Colonel (Ret) Williamson was commissioned in 1980. He has held numerous assignments in the former Strategic and Tactical Air Commands, Air Force Space Command, Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces, and United States Central Command. In his most recent assignment, as Chief, Capital Planning and Investments, Office of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer, HQ USAF, he directly controlled
$6 billion in information technology investments, and over $20 billion in C2 and C4ISR programs for the Air Force. He also was responsible for oversight and advocacy of resources for the modernization, operation, and sustainment of C4ISR systems, modeling and simulation programs, and major Air Force experiments.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Yahya Ibrahim Abdulrahman</span>
Mr. Yahya Ibrahim Abdulrahman
Chief Information Officer, Saudi Electricity Company

Mr. Yahya Ibrahim Abdulrahman is the Chief Information Officer for Saudi Electricity Company overseeing one of the largest IT and Communications sectors in the region delivering services to over 8.2 million customers and 33,000 employees across the entire Kingdom. Mr. Yahya brings over 30 years of leadership in IT and has started his career with SABIC which is one of the leading Saudi companies globally and regionally.

Mr. Yahya oversees a team of over 600 IT professionals and works closely with SEC leadership on achieving their goals and objectives through the implementation of state of the art technology solutions. Mr. Yahya is currently spearheading SEC IT transformation initiative to bring SEC one step closer to becoming a world class utility and providing its customers with full digital experience.

In addition to his role as CIO and IT transformation leader, Mr. Yahya is also the head of the Cyber Security committee responsible for protecting SEC assets to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to the Kingdom. Mr. Yahya has recently launched SEC Cyber Security Strategy and Roadmap covering people, process, technology. Mr. Yahya recent achievements include the attainment of ISO 27K certification in addition to the launch and implementation of sophisticated Cyber and IT security solutions and awareness campaigns.

Mr. Yahya holds a Computer Science degree from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals and has attended a number of leadership programs in Insead, Said Business Schools, and others. Mr. Yahya has also been a panelist and a speaker in National and Regional summits and symposiums including IDC, Gartner, HP, and others.

11:30 - 14:30
Session 2: Security in C4I Systems
11:30 - 12:00
Keynote 8: Critical infrastructure protection against cyberattacks
Topics:
  • Protection against cyberattacks and advanced persistent threats (APT)
  • Challenges, issues and solutions for Critical infrastructure protection (CIP) against cyberattacks
  • Tools and technologies for CIP
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. Saleh Ibrahim Almotairi</span>
Dr. Saleh Ibrahim Almotairi
General Director, National Cybersecurity Center (NCS),

Dr. Saleh Ibrahim Almotairi is the General Director of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCS ), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Before being named to the NCSC Dr. Almotairi was responsible for the Security Audit program at the National Information Center and was significantly involved in privacy, security and audit.

Dr. Almotairi received his PhD in Information Security in 2009 from Queensland University of Technology in Australia after obtaining his Master’s Degree at Queensland University.

12:00 - 12:30
Noon Prayer & Networking Break
12:30 - 12:55
Keynote 9: Cyber Security in Emerging C4I Systems: Deployment and Implementation Perspectives
Topics:
  • Deployment challenges, experiences and perspectives
  • Local and regional challenges related to cybersecurity monitoring and control
  • Challenges and risks associated with emerging C4I systems and their mitigation
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Eric Eifert</span>
Mr. Eric Eifert
Senior Vice President, Managed Security Services, Dark Matter,

Eric Eifert is the Senior Vice President of Managed Security Services at DarkMatter. With more than 20 years of military and civilian experience in information technology and cyber security, Eric leads the DarkMatter team of security and technology professionals. His team provides customers onsite and remote security operations centre services. These include intrusion detection and prevention, security event monitoring and detection, incident investigation, 24/7 continuous diagnostics and mitigation, and event resolution. Eric and his team also assist customers in designing and building insider threat detection capabilities; integrated network and security operation centres; continuous governance, risk and compliance monitoring; and cyber-situational awareness dashboards.

Prior to joining DarkMatter in 2015, Eric was Senior Vice President of the Cyber Security Solutions Division within US-headquartered ManTech’s Mission Cyber and Intelligence Solutions Group. He led a highly technical team of more than 450 cyber security experts in the provision of a range of solutions for federal and state governments, and commercial and international customers.

Eric also is an adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at George Mason University, Virginia, U.S., teaching graduate digital forensics analysis and cyber investigations. Prior to and concurrent with his role at ManTech, Eric spent 20 years with the U.S. Air Force Office of Investigations in positions such as Network Engineer, Special Agent, Computer Crime Investigator, and Commander.

He led a team of Special Agents conducting Computer Crime Investigations and Information Operations throughout Europe, Africa, and South-West Asia. During this period, he participated in online undercover operations, intrusion investigations, computer forensics examinations, cyber counterintelligence investigations, felony criminal investigations, and supported various military information operations.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Information Systems from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology from the University of Minnesota. He also is a certified Project Management Professional, and is a certified Computer Crime Investigator and Expert Witness.

13:00 - 13:30
Keynote 10: Cloud-based C4I Systems: Security Challenges and Solutions
Topics:
  • Cloud deployment challenges in C4I systems
  • Cyber vulnerabilities in Cloud-based C4I systems
  • Risk assessment and mitigation
  • ISMS, Governance and Compliance
Presented by:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Stijn Rommens</span>
Mr. Stijn Rommens
Director, EMEA Systems Engineering, Cloud Security, Elastica,

With over 15 years of experience in network security industries, Stijn today leads the EMEA Systems Engineering team at Elastica.

Throughout his career, customer satisfaction and partner collaboration have been key focal points, resulting in a solution enablement attitude.

Stijn grew his communication skills to become engaged in both technical discussions as well as business-focused conversations.

Before joining Elastica, Stijn held various customer-facing roles at successful network security companies like ISS, Juniper Networks and Palo Alto Networks.

His focus always has been on becoming a trusted advisor, technology expert and team leader to finally run a larger team in Europe enhancing business processes and optimizing the framework in which an SE can work have been important areas of attention for him.

Last but not least, Stijn always has paid lots of attention to a clear and meaningful message, taking the total picture into account, both in front of a small group or a big audience.

13:30 - 14:30
Panel: National Capacity and Capability Building in Cybersecurity
Topics:
  • The need for national capability building.
  • Current efforts for capability and capacity building
  • Building standards toward cybersecurity in C4I systems
  • Avenues for collaboration between academia, industry and government in the area of cybersecurity
Moderator:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. Basel Alomair</span>
Dr. Basel Alomair
Director National Center for Cyber security Technology (C4C), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)

Basel Alomair is an Assistant Professor and Founding Director of the National Center for Cyber security Technology (C4C) in King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), an Affiliate Professor and co-director of the Network Security Lab (NSL) at the University of Washington-Seattle, an Affiliate Professor at King Saud University (KSU), and an Information Security Officer at the Technology Control Company (TCC). He was recognized by the IEEE Technical Committee on Fault-Tolerant Computing (TC-FTC) and the IFIP Working Group on Dependable Computing and Fault Tolerance (WG 10.4) with the 2010 IEEE/IFIP William Carter Award for his significant contributions in the area of dependable computing. His research in cybersecurity was recognized with the 2011 Outstanding Research Award from the University of Washington. He was also the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Dissertation Award from the National Security Agency’s Center for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (NSA CIAC), and he was a co-author of the 2014 WiOpt Best Student Paper Award. He has multiple patents in cybersecurity and he has published more than 50 scientific papers over the past 8 years.

Panelists:
<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Raul Rikk</span>
Mr. Raul Rikk
Head of National Cyber Security Domain, e-Governance Academy

Raul Rikk was one of the founders of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, leading its establishment from 2004-2008. He is currently the Head of National Cyber Security Domain at the e-Governance Academy Foundation and is engaged in strategic cyber security development in many countries and international programs.

Raul has worked in the field of national defence and security since 1994. He has been part of the Estonian Cyber Security Strategy Working Group since 2007. He has also been working on national cyber security capacity-building in Georgia, Moldova, Albania and other countries for many years. He is a member of the Cyber Defence Commission of the Estonian Academy of Science and a member of the Estonian Cyber Defence League.

Raul holds a Master’s degree in Military Science from the Finnish National Defence University and a Master’s degree in Management of Information Technology from Tallinn University. He is also a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Dr. Muhammad Khurram Khan</span>
Dr. Muhammad Khurram Khan
Editor-in-Chief, Telecommunication Systems (Springer), Center of Excellence in Information Assurance (CoEIA)

Prof. Muhammad Khurram Khan is currently working as a Full Professor at the Center of Excellence in Information Assurance (CoEIA), King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is one of the founding members of CoEIA and has served as the Manager R&D from March 2009 to March 2012. He developed and successfully managed the research program of CoEIA, which transformed the center as one of the best centers of research excellence in Saudi Arabia as well as in the region.
 
Prof. Muhammad Khurram Khan is the Editor-in-Chief of a well-esteemed ISI-indexed international journal 'Telecommunication Systems' published by Springer-Verlag since 1993 with an impact factor of 1.163 (JCR 2013). Furthermore, he is the full-time Editor/Associate Editor of several ISI-indexed international journals/magazines, including IEEE Communications Magazine, Journal of Network & Computer Applications (Elsevier), IEEE Access, Security & Communication Networks (Wiley), Journal of Medical Systems (Springer), PLOS ONE (USA), Computers & Electrical Engineering (Elsevier), IET Wireless Sensor Systems, Electronic Commerce Research (Springer), Scientific World Journal (Hindawi), Journal of Computing & Informatics, Journal of Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing (JIHMSP), and International Journal of Biometrics (Inderscience), etc.
 
Prof. Khurram is an adjunct professor at Fujian University of Technology, China and an honorary Professor at IIIRC, Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, China. He has been awarded a Gold Medal for the ‘Best Invention & Innovation Award’ at 10th Malaysian Technology Expo 2011, Malaysia. Moreover, his invention recently got a Bronze Medal at '41st International Exhibition of Inventions' at Geneva, Switzerland in April 2013. Prof. Khurram is the recipient of 'King Saud University Award for Scientific Excellence 2015'.
 
Prof. Khurram has published over 235 research papers in the journals and conferences of international repute. In addition, he is an inventor of 10 US/PCT patents. He has edited 7 books/proceedings published by Springer-Verlag and IEEE. He has secured several national and international research grants in the domain of Cybersecurity. His research areas of interest are Cybersecurity, digital authentication, biometrics, multimedia security, and technological innovation management. He is a Fellow of the IET (UK), Fellow of the BCS (UK), Fellow of the FTRA (Korea), senior member of the IEEE (USA), a member of the IEEE Technical Committee on Security & Privacy, and a member of the IEEE Cybersecurity community.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Mike Cameron</span>
Mr. Mike Cameron
Vice President, Leidos

Mike Cameron is a Vice President at Leidos, Inc. and leads business development for cyber, cybersecurity, and cyber workforce development. In this role, he works with other senior leaders to guide strategic planning, market development and business growth.

Prior to this role, while serving at another company, Mike was the Program Director for a multi-year investment campaign in cloud computing and led activities in cloud security and the economics of cloud computing.

Mike has over 15 years of experience in cyber. As an engineer, he led capability development and integration across a range of technology areas. His involvement in cyber spans the capability development and operations lifecycle. He is an invited speaker on cybersecurity workforce development and organizational readiness.

Mike has a BS in Mathematics and a MS in Computer Engineering.

<span class='agenda-slot-speaker-name'>Mr. Moath Hasan</span>
Mr. Moath Hasan
Senior Systems Engineer, Juniper

Moath Hasan has 10 years of experience in the IT industry. He is a Senior Systems Engineer at Juniper since 2012 .

Prior to that, he worked as a Senior Systems Engineer at Advanced Technologies for 5 years.

Mr. Hasan studied Telecommunication Engineering in Jordan and graduated with a Bachelor degree from Al-Yarmouk University.

14:30 - 15:30
Lunch & End of Conference