Sustainable Security

09:30 – 10:30

Registration and Welcoming Reception

10:30 – 11:00

Opening of the Conference Exhibition

11:00 – 11:30

Welcoming Remarks & Keynote Addresses

Welcoming Remarks

• Dr. Mohamed Abdulla Al Ali Chairman, TRENDS Group, UAE

Keynote Addresses

• Admiral Brad Cooper Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), USA
• H.E. Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi Member of the Federal National Council (FNC); Chairman of the FNC Committee on Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs, UAE
• Ambassador Mike Waltz U.S. Representative to the United Nations, USA

11:30 – 12:00

Fireside Chat

• Secretary Mike Pompeo Former Secretary of State; Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), USA

Moderator

Becky Anderson Managing Editor & Anchor of Connect the World, CNN Abu Dhabi, UAE

12:00 – 12:15

Break

1

Panel 1 12:15 – 13:30

Rethinking Regional Security: What Comes After Deterrence?

The war has exposed the limits of existing assumptions about deterrence, defence, and regional security. The growing vulnerability of civilian, digital, energy, and critical infrastructure raises fundamental questions about how states can deter threats that extend beyond the traditional battlefield. This panel will examine whether the region needs a new security architecture built around stronger deterrence, greater resilience, and new forms of strategic cooperation. It will ask what lessons should shape the next generation of regional security arrangements and who should underpin them.

Panellists

• Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson Former Head of Intelligence, U.S. Central Command, USA
• Prof. Choi Jong Kun Former First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Professor, Political Science & International Studies, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea
• Abdulaziz Al-Shehhi Deputy General Manager, TRENDS Research and Advisory, UAE
• Barry Pavel Former Vice President and Director of the National Security Research Division, RAND Corporation, USA
• The Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon Former Defence Secretary, UK

Moderator

Jamil Anderlini POLITICO Regional Director – Europe, Belgium

2

Panel 2 13:30 – 14:45

The Information Battleground: Narratives, Influence and Conflict

In modern conflicts, the battle over information and public perception can be as consequential as events on the ground. Governments, media, political actors, and non-state groups increasingly compete to shape how crises are understood and reported. Digital communication, disinformation, propaganda, and emerging technologies have transformed this contest. This panel will examine how competing narratives shape public opinion, policy responses, and international perceptions during times of crisis.

Panel Keynote Address

• H.E. Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri Director of the National Operations Center and Official Spokesperson, The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), UAE

Panellists

• H.E. Dr. Saad Bin Teflah Al-Ajmi Former Minister of Information, Kuwait
• Nina Jankowicz CEO, American Sunlight Project, USA
• Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez Vice President, Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), USA
• Karen Allen Former BBC Correspondent; Founder of Karen Allen International, South Africa

Moderator

Elyazia Al Hosani Head of Media Department, TRENDS Group, UAE

14:45 – 15:45

Lunch

3

Panel 3 15:45 – 17:00

Strength Through Partnerships: Alignments Reshaping the Balance of Power

The war has demonstrated that military power alone cannot determine strategic outcomes; access, intelligence, logistics, diplomacy, and political alignment are equally critical. At the same time, traditional alliances are being tested as states pursue more flexible partnerships shaped by national interests rather than fixed blocs. This panel will examine how the changing balance of power is reshaping strategic partnerships across the Middle East and beyond. It will ask whether the region is moving toward a more fragmented and transactional order or toward new forms of cooperation capable of delivering lasting strategic stability.

Panellists

• Dr. Johnnie Moore Vice Chancellor and Managing Director of Middle East Studies, Pepperdine University, USA
• Dr. Jodie Wen Fellow, Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), Tsinghua University, Director of International Communication, China Forum, China
• Prof. Irina Zvyagelskaya Head of the Primakov Institute for Middle East Studies, IMEMO, Russia
• Dr. Mihai Sebastian Chihaia Policy Director, Europe in the World Programme, European Policy Centre (EPC); Fellow, GLOBSEC, Belgium
• Dr. Barın Kayaoğlu Chair of American Studies, Social Sciences University of Ankara, Turkey

Moderator

Bilal Saab Senior Managing Director of TRENDS US, USA

4

Panel 4 17:00 – 18:15

Resilient Connectivity: Securing Energy and Trade Flows in the Age of Geo-Economic Competition

Energy, trade, and connectivity have become strategic assets and potential vulnerabilities in an increasingly fragmented global economy. Disruptions to maritime routes, energy supplies, critical infrastructure, and global supply chains can now carry consequences far beyond the economic sphere. This panel will examine how geopolitical competition is reshaping the movement of energy, goods, and capital across the region and beyond. It will explore how states can build more resilient connectivity while balancing efficiency, strategic autonomy, and economic interdependence.

Panellists

• Dr. Karen Young Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University, USA
• Prof. Christian Bueger Professor of International Relations, University of Copenhagen; Fellow, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Denmark
• Dr. Neil Quilliam Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House, UK
• Dr. Federico Donelli Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Trieste, Italy and Research Fellow, Wilson Center, Washington, D.C.
• Abdullah Al-Junaid Geopolitical Columnist and Writer on Middle East Affairs, Bahrain

Moderator

Mouza Al Marzooqi Director of the Economic Studies Department, TRENDS Research and Advisory, UAE

18:15 – 18:30

Closing Remarks