CENS Seminar on National Security Implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by Dr Linton Wells II, CENS Distinguished Visiting Fellow

About the speaker:

Dr. Linton Wells II brings more than twenty years of civilian leadership experience in national security affairs. He is particularly familiar with cybersecurity issues, networked capabilities, and the uses of technology, media and data in defense environments, having served as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration (ASD NII) and Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Information Officer (CIO). Other senior positions have been related to Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I), and the interface between policy and technology.

As Assistant Secretary (acting) and DoD CIO he oversaw the Defense Department’s $30 billion budget for information technology and related areas and was responsible for enhancing DoD’s networked capabilities and support structures.

His present work includes cross-domain synergy – the convergence of cyber, electromagnetic warfare and space; building resilience to national and man-made disasters; critical infrastructure protection; smart cities; and big data analytics.

Synopsis:

According to the World Economic Forum, the first industrial revolution (1780s) was driven by “steam, water and mechanical production equipment.”   The second, beginning about 1870, saw “divisions of labor, electricity and mass production.” The third, since 1969, has brought “electronics, IT and automated production.” In this model, a fourth industrial revolution is beginning that will fuse technologies to “blur the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres”.

The pace of change is often rapid, affecting many sectors and transforming management, as well as production and distribution. Responses to these challenges must engage public-private, whole-of-society, and trans-national stakeholders in comprehensive, integrated ways.

One emerging challenge is the replacement of labor by automation and artificial intelligence. Opinions differ as to the impact—some say new jobs will be created and overall prosperity will be increased. Others say the rate of change will exceed many people’s ability to adapt, create severe unemployment, and further exacerbate wealth inequality across society. Should this view come to pass, people in the youth bulges areas of sub-Saharan Africa, the Islamic World, and South Asia (as well as underserved parts of the developed world) could be left with even fewer job opportunities and hence little stake in the international system. Many would be inclined to migrate, be vulnerable to radicalization, and not be likely to be deterred by traditional means of dissuasion. A concept called BROCADE (Building Resilient Opportunities in Culturally Aware Diverse Environments) will be introduced to mitigate these pressures by leveraging peer-based approaches.

Contacts

For invitation enquiries please contact:-

Ms Sobana Bala
Administrative Officer
Tel: (65) 6790-6487
Fax: (65) 6792-8701
E-mail: [email protected]