As the world prepares to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Henry Jackson Society is launching a new report by its Associate Research Fellow David Kirichenko, “Lessons from the First Cyberwar: How Supporting Ukraine on the Digital Battlefield Can Help Improve the UK’s Online Resilience”. This report looks beyond the physical battlefields of Ukraine to the less-well-reported digital conflict, which is taking place on an unprecedented scale. The report looks at earlier cyberattacks as well as those associated with the ongoing conflict. It determines the lessons learned for the UK and other Western powers on how cyber operations can be used in modern war. It also proposes how to establish a strategy for the UK, US, and NATO to bolster their own security while also supporting Ukraine’s cyber operations.

By kind invitation of James Morris MP, The Henry Jackson Society is pleased to welcome you to a discussion with the distinguished experts about the findings of the new report.

David Kirichenko is a researcher and expert specializing in the fields of cyber warfare and irregular warfare. His analysis is widely published in outlets such as the Atlantic Council, Center for European Policy Analysis, Irregular Warfare Center, and The Hill, as well as in peer-reviewed journals. His writing has been cited in journals such as the Journal of Advanced Military Studies and the Asymmetric Threat Analysis Center at the University of Maryland, among others. David has worked in the field of security engineering, focusing on building threat detections, utilizing open-source software, and managing vulnerabilities.

Paul Chichester has worked in the UK Government Intelligence and Security community for over 25 years in a variety of cyber roles. For those old enough to remember, he began his career designing and developing secure operating systems that were assured to TCSEC Orange Book A1 standards. Since then he’s spent time building the UK government’s penetration testing team, partnering with industry in developing the UK CHECK scheme, led vulnerability and intrusion detection research teams and been at the forefront of every major cyber investigation for nearly 20 years. Paul is also one of GCHQ’s Heads of Profession, responsible for developing our existing subject matter experts and ensuring there is a strong and diverse pipeline well into the future. Most recently Paul was appointed as Director Operations in the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre which launched on the 1^st October last 2016. Paul was awarded the MBE in 2005 for his ground-breaking work on cyber.

Aliona Hlivco is a Managing Director at The Henry Jackson Society and a member of the Advisory Council at Coalition for Global Prosperity.

She is a foreign policy expert with background in global affairs and strategic communications. Aliona is a guest lecturer in various UK and US academic institutions and a regular expert voice on global affairs for international media.

Aliona has had an extensive career in Ukrainian politics, serving as an adviser to the former Prime Minister of Ukraine and holding positions in Chernivtsi Regional Parliament and the Ministry of Infrastructure. She focused on international cooperation, public-private partnerships and decentralisation. She held a public office and was a member of regional parliament in 2015-2018 before she moved to London.

Aliona holds MA in Political Science and MPA from Chernivtsi National University in Ukraine. She is a recipient of the Order of Merit for her service in supporting democracy in Ukraine during the Revolution of Dignity 2013-2014.

James Morris MP is Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis. He currently chairs the Cyber Security APPG. James Morris was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care between 8 July 2022 and 8 September 2022. He was previously a Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) between 14 February 2020 and 8 July 2022 and Assistant Government Whip from 29 July 2019 to 14 February 2020.

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EVENT SUMMARY

The Henry Jackson Society was pleased to host the report launch event with Dr David Kirichenko, Paul Chichester MBE and Aliona Hlivco, chaired by James Morris MP. Dr Kirichenko began the discussion by emphasising the elusive but ever-present danger of cyberwarfare and its key role as an extension of Russia’s political and military goals. He stressed that by supporting the Ukrainian’s digital infrastructure the UK is inherently protecting itself from future conflicts and learning valuable lessons associated with cyberwarfare. The discussion turned to Paul Chichester MBE who underlined that the Ukrainian’s digital resilience and success is a result of over ten years of capacity building and now is the time for the UK to invest further in its cyber capabilities. Aliona Hlivco then highlighted that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is the world’s first hybrid war. Crucially, Ukraine has become a testing ground for how cyberwarfare can be waged, and the lessons learnt are vitally important for the protection of the UK and its ability to establish itself as a global power. In the subsequent Q&A session, there were questions raised on the effectiveness of non-state actors in carrying out cyberattacks, the murky area of cyberwarfare legislation and similarities between Russian and Chinese cyberattacks. 

This event can only be watched In-Person. To register your interest please submit the form below.

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