New security code for 21st century demands vital shift in threat perception: BIPSS

President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) Maj Gen (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman today (17 July) said a new security code for the 21st century requires a fundamental shift in how they conceive of and address threats.

He laid emphasis on moving beyond traditional state-centric, military-focused approaches to a more comprehensive, interconnected and adaptive framework is essential.

"This involves a fusion of technology and war-fighting, emphasising proactive prevention through predictive models and continuous learning," said the BIPSS president while delivering the keynote speech at a discussion.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) at North South University (NSU) organised the talk on 'The Security Code for This Century: Priorities for a New Era'.

The session was held at the NSU Syndicate Hall, as part of the NSU SHSS Distinguished Lecture Series.

The session was chaired by NSU Vice Chancellor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury while concluding observations were provided by the Moderator, Treasurer & Pro-Vice Chancellor (In-charge) at NSU Professor Abdur Rob Khan.

Md Rizwanul Islam, dean of the SHSS at NSU, started the discussion with the opening remarks, where he expressed gratitude to the distinguished guest for gracing the occasion with his presence.

He pointed out the critical importance of understanding and adapting to the dynamic concept of security with a holistic approach in the 21st century.

Muniruzzaman said key aspects include software-defined open architectures for rapid upgrades and interoperability through civilian-military fusion and global collaboration, leading to an information overload of misinformation, bringing us to new heights of vulnerability.

He emphasised human-centric security to abide by ethical use of technology fostering public trust.

During the Q&A session, faculty members engaged with the guest speaker on the role of advanced technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning), robotics, and quantum computing in modern defense, how emerging modern systems are enabling new forms of warfare, the rise of paradigms such as multi-domain, hybrid, and cognitive warfare, and the necessity of network-centric warfare (JADC2) and advanced defense systems.

They also criticised the complexities and lack of cyberspace investments and implementation in the context of Bangladesh, according to a media release.

Abdur Rob Khan observed that the exchange of ideas encouraged a better understanding of the complex interplay between technology, strategy and human factors in shaping the future of security.

Abdul Hannan Chowdhury highlighted the imperative for academic institutions to contribute to the discourse on national and international security, commending the timely and insightful discussion.

He added how there are gaps in the integration of AI in medical systems, defense and educational institutions in Bangladesh, raising national security concerns.