Dear Mr. Yossi Azar and Ms. Karine Ben Simhon,

 

Greetings from the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.  I am writing to request the opportunity to visit the CERT in Beer Sheva next week, on the morning of Thursday, October 31^st, during a brief visit intended to prepare for a possible follow-on graduate student visit next April (18-24 April 2020, about 8-10 people).

 

You may be aware that a separate Eisenhower Group visited the CERT in Beer Sheva last spring, and they had the opportunity to hear from your Director General, Mr. Yigal Unna.  I understand Mr. Unna has since moved to a new role.

 

On October 4^th, I sent an email to your public-facing email address to request to visit next week (please see below), and my email was acknowledged, but since that point, I have not heard anything.

 

At the Eisenhower School, I teach a course called the Cyber Domain/Advanced Computing Industry Study, and our students include several rising strategic leaders (mid-career professionals) from the U.S. and abroad who are likely to work in senior cyber roles, so I think it would be particularly important and valuable for us to have an interaction in Beer Sheva when I bring the students to Israel next April.  An initial visit next week would be an opportunity to get acquainted, help me learn a little more about your organization, and discuss options for a future student visit.

 

A little more information about my course is included in the attached 2-page summary.  I have also attached a short bio to facilitate introductions.

 

I know the weekend has already begun in Israel, so you may not see this email until Sunday or Monday.  My schedule for the morning of the 31^st is currently quite open.  Please feel free to reach me at M:  202-285-7414, E:  andrew.h.nichols.mil@ndu.edu.

 

Both visits (the one next week, and the one planned for April) have the full support of the Political Military Bureau Directorate, Israeli Ministry of Defense.  I am also receiving excellent support from the International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) (Mr. Barry Zebrak), and the Israel National Defense College (INDC) (LTC Matan Or, cc’d).

 

I have already sent an official visit request to Mr. Zebrak (with clearance and passport info) to facilitate a meetings with government officials in Tel Aviv on Sunday the 27th.  A variety of visits have been arranged with industry and academic leaders for the subsequent days.  If you require any additional information, please let me know.

 

Thank you very much for considering my request.  I do hope we have an opportunity to meet.

 

Best regards,

Andrew

 

 

 

Thank you for contacting us.

We have forwarded your e-mail to the relevant representative.

 

Best regards,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD),

 

Greetings from the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, DC!  Could you please route this email to your Director General, Mr. Yigal Unna, or an appropriate representative?  I would like to request an opportunity to visit the national Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT) in Beer Sheva, or INCD’s offices in Jerusalem during an upcoming visit to Israel (26 Oct-1 Nov 2019), in anticipation of a possible student (group) visit in the spring (18-24 April 2020).  Last spring, Mr. Unna spoke to a number of Eisenhower School students in a group led by my Department Chair, Col Sean O’Brien, USAF.

 

As it explains in the attached information sheet, I teach a course at the Eisenhower School called the Cyber Domain/Advanced Computing Industry Study (the 'Cyber IS’).  We teach mid-career U.S. and international military officers (O5-O6), U.S. government civilians, and corporate executives who are pursuing a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy.  In the future, many of these rising strategic leaders will play a role in acquiring new systems, influencing policy development, and resourcing national security strategies.  (As an example, last spring, one of my students was an Israeli colonel, and now he has returned to Israel to take a division command and be promoted to brigadier general.)

 

My course is about industry, innovation, and resourcing, and this year, we will have four focus areas:

- Cybersecurity/cyberspace operations

- Artificial intelligence (AI)

- Advanced computing (quantum and neuromorphic)

- Telecommunications (esp. 5G)

 

We are very interested in the relationships and actions among government, industry, and academic institutions that promote innovation, corporate and industrial competitiveness, and economic growth--especially as they relate to the technology and communications industries.  Experiential learning is a big part of the course, and we always take the students on the road to visit firms and agencies in the United States and abroad.  This year, are planning to visit Austin, Texas, the Silicon Valley in California, and Israel.

 

We are interested in visiting your national CERT to understand your perspectives on cybersecurity threats, how you address those threats, and your resourcing needs and methods.  A future visit by the students would give them a chance to compare and contrast Israeli and American approaches to these issues/considerations, since they will be visiting a number of firms and agencies in the United States and Israel.

 

My primary request is to visit your national CERT in Beer Sheva on Thursday, 31 October, or alternatively, your offices in Jerusalem on Wednesday, 30 October.  (Perhaps one visit would be enough.  At this moment, I am not entirely clear what you have stationed in Beer Sheva versus Jerusalem.)  The purpose of the October meeting(s) would be to get acquainted, help me become more familiar with your agency, and discuss options for a future student visit (window: 18-24 April 2020). 

 

Fortunately, both visits to Israel are supported by the International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) of the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD)—my interlocutor is Mr. Barry Zebrak at SIBAT (Regional Director, North America; barry_zebrak@mod.gov.il; T: +972-3-697-6586).  We are also receiving excellent support from the Israel National Defense College (esp. LTC Matan Or, ormatan@mail.gov.il).

 

For your reference, I have attached a copy of my preliminary agenda for the October trip.

 

At your earliest convenience, please advise me whether a representative of INCD/CERT would be available to meet in Beer Sheva and/or Jerusalem on the dates mentioned above.

 

Thank you very much for your assistance.

 

Best regards,

Andrew

 

ANDREW H. NICHOLS, Colonel, USAF

Assistant Professor, National Security and Industrial Base

Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy 

National Defense University

 

Eisenhower Hall (Bldg. 59), Room 415

andrew.h.nichols.mil@ndu.edu

Office:  (202) 685-4319

 

Secured.Ticket Id: 6256b5a1-0e0b-4870-8dfd-05feb5b7149c