The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Military Fellow, Colonel David Pendall, will speak on, “Intelligence Gathering: Persistent Surveillance Technologies.”
"Persistent surveillance, also known as persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); persistent stare; and pervasive knowledge of the adversary, is an often-used term to describe the need for and application of future ISR capabilities to qualitatively transform intelligence support to operational and tactical commands.” [COL Pendall]
COL David Pendall is a Lincoln Laboratory Military Fellow working under the Army War College Fellowship Program, in conjunction with the MIT Security Studies Program. Two days a week, the fellows perform research at the Laboratory to complement work on their theses. COL Pendall has been investigating the application of biometrics and forensic technology as they relate to national security.
COL Pendall is a Military Intelligence officer who has served eight years in Europe and has had tours in Bosnia, Qatar, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Turkey. His assignments have included duties with NATO/International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, the U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army, the U.S.-Turkey Combined Fusion Center in Ankara, Turkey, and the U.S. Army V Corps in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom). He was a Senior Intelligence Officer in Afghanistan and the G2 (intelligence officer) of the First Cavalry Division.
He has been awarded the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Airborne and Air Assault wings. He has also worn the Blue Infantry Cord as a former enlisted soldier 11B Infantryman. COL Pendall holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Ohio University, a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan University, and a master's degree in military art and science in theater operations from the Army Command and General Staff College/Advanced Military Studies Program.
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