A host of national experts will be on the University of Kansas campus today and Thursday to discuss cybersecurity threats from Russia and other Eastern European and Asian countries.

A 7 p.m. panel discussion tonight in the Jayhawk Room of the Kansas Union will feature a pair of officials from the Defense Intelligence Agency and a colonel from the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On Thursday, Trent Maul, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency — a federal agency that specializes in providing intelligence on foreign militaries — will deliver a key note address at 9 a.m. in the Burge Union on the Lawrence campus.

Other events for the day include:

• Cybersecurity, Disinformation and Storytelling, featuring speakers from the National Intelligence University, the University of Tulsa and the University of Southern California. 10 a.m. at the Burge Union.

• The Weaponization of Social Media and the Fate of Democracy, featuring speakers from Georgia State University, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, an from KU. 12:30 p.m. at the Burge Union.

• Investigating and Responding to Russian Intelligence Campaigns Online, featuring speakers from Kansas State University, the Atlantic Council and an author about methods of investigating Russian spies. 2:15 p.m. at the Burge Union.

KU leaders said the conference is extremely timely given the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the false evidence Russia’s leadership used to support it shows how disinformation can be deployed on social media to advance military aims on the battlefield,” said Erik Scott, associate professor of history and director of KU’s Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies (CREES). 

CREES is partnering with KU’s Office of Graduate Military Programs and the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence to host the conference.

The conference is open for the public to attend, however, KU is requesting that attendees register at https://iccae.ku.edu/conference-registration-form.