With the aim of promoting a networked government response to national security issues, the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) and the National Security Co-ordination Secretariat (NSCS), part of Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office, will be co-organising the inaugural Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO) from 14-26 January 2006.

APPSNO will provide participants from the Asia-Pacific and beyond with a programme that will foster interaction and opportunities to learn about developments related to national security matters. International experts on homeland security have been invited to speak on topics such as “The Challenge of Homeland Security in the 21st Century”, “Protecting the City: Observation and Lessons from New York”, “Developing a Whole-of-Government Approach to Homeland Security”, “From SARS to Bioterrorism to Pandemics: New Tools and Old Medicine to Protect the Public” and “Communications and National Resilience in Crises”.

The prominent speakers include: Dr Richard Falkenrath, Deputy Commissioner for Counter Terrorism in the New York Police Department; Dr Bill Durodie, Senior Lecturer in Risk and Security at Cranfield University; Sir Richard Dearlove, Master of Pembroke College; Mr Clark Ervin, Director of the Homeland Security Initiative at the Aspen Institute; and Dr David Heyman, Director of the Homeland Security Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington. Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Law Professor S Jayakumar will deliver the opening address.

APPSNO aims to become an important tool for promoting the analytical frameworks, mindsets and skills needed for effective national security management. The programme will also comprise a closed phase that will focus on national security issues of current relevance to local officers.