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Page Updated:
09-Dec-2009
Areas of interest of the SPS Committee's
four Advisory Panels
| SPS Key Priorities are currently under revision. It is recommended that all new applications be submitted in line with the revised priorities, which are expected to be announced during March 2010. |
Chemistry/Biology/Physics (CBP)
The SPS Committee's Advisory Panel on Chemistry, Biology and Physics (CBP) addresses the application of one or more of these scientific disciplines to problems of security and terrorism. Of particular concern is preventing and responding to the inadvertent or intended use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and agents. The CPB Panel promotes efforts to detect, to protect against and to destroy such weapons as well as their agents and other component parts. The Panel promotes efforts to improve ways to decontaminate areas after these materials have been used and to deal with their health effects. The Panels also seeks better ways to protect societal infrastructures against terrorism. This infrastructure is comprised not only of buildings, energy supplies and transportation systems but also vital food production and distribution systems. Examples of areas in which the Panel has recently endorsed activity are the following:
- the development of new sensor technologies for the detection of explosives and biological agents using gene chips, electromagnetism, chemical analytical techniques and processing from multiple sensors.
- the development of new techniques to monitor radioactive contamination based on variations in the sorption of radionuclides to the surfaces of sediments and on their incorporation into crystalline structures.
- the development of new pharmaceutical and immunologic procedures to counter the effects of biological agents including the sepsis that is often left in their wake.
- the destruction of large supplies of rocket fuel oxidizer stored in corroding and leaking tanks.
- improving the resilience to damage of high-rise buildings, traffic nodes and stadiums.
- modeling human factors to improve the reliability of nuclear power plant operations.
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Environmental Security (ESP)
The SPS Committee's Advisory Panel Environmental Security (ESP) considers those environmental issues that pose risks to security and often lead to regional or cross-border disputes. The Panel is concerned with the growing threat of eco-terrorism, the management of water resources, the pollution of waterways, desertification and land erosion. Environmental problems caused by past or present military activities are also of great interest. Reliable models of how to manage non-renewable resources and how to achieve the sustainable consumption of food, energy and other vital resources are of interest as are the environmental and fiscal impacts of proposed solutions. The Panel also addresses itself to the forecasting and prevention of natural disasters. Examples of areas in which the Panel has recently endorsed activity are the following:
- Flood forecasting and risk assessment in the northern regions of Russia and .predicting glacial hazards in the Central Caucasus.
- Assessing risk based on the retrospective analysis of data derived from catastrophic rock avalanches such as occurred in Tajikistan in 1949. Similar, earthquake-triggered landslides continue to be major threat in Tajikistan.
- Studying the relationship between climate change and air quality in the Mediterranean region and improving the health of the Black Sea's ecosystem.
- Developing solar power-based procedures to desalinate and to distribute water to populations surrounding the Aral Sea.
- Cleaning up soil contamination and ground water pollution in Romania resulting from the operations of large petrochemical plants and mitigating the effects of intentional or accidental spills of oil and other toxic materials in the Gulf of Aqaba.
- Assessing radiological risk in Central Asia including those stemming from the use of nuclear explosions for the exploration of oil and gas.
- Preventing the encroachment of sand dunes into the Toshka Depression on the western shore of Lake Nasser in Egypt. This plan will use excess water by pumping it from Lake Nasser for irrigation.
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Human and Societal Dynamics (HSD)
The SPS Committee's Advisory Panel on Human and Societal Dynamics (HSD) considers security issues that lie at the confluence of the social and physical sciences. In many NATO and Partner countries, universities and research institutions are influential in shaping policy and public opinion. They promote a synergy between the social and natural sciences. By harnessing this community the Panel increases NATO's awareness of emerging threats and challenges. Many of the complex issues on NATO's Peace and Security agenda can also benefit from better cooperation between these communities in NATO and Partner countries. This approach depends on also engaging key audiences and influential experts from the security-related community. The Panel promotes high quality research and other activities in the humanities and social sciences. It invokes these activities to raise awareness and promote debate about societal dynamics in general and about the genesis and progression of terrorist activity in particular. The Panel also concerns itself with the policies and management of science and technology and with the role of Science and Technology in the betterment of humanity. Examples of areas in which the Panel has recently endorsed activity are the following:
- Consideration of the sociological and psychological basis for terrorism including the lack of social integration in a society, cultural characteristics, the role of globalization and the influence of religion.
- Understanding the impact of international crises on human awareness and behaviour and the role of scientific cooperation in the reduction of international tensions.
- Understanding how terrorist organizations recruit individuals and how they psychologically manipulate their recruits to engage in hostage-taking and other terrorist acts which are often suicidal in nature. Exploring the non-violent means that might be developed to interdict these activities.
- Assessment of the role of women in politics and in civil society in the Middle East and their influence on democratisation.
- Assessment of the psychological damage done to societies and to individuals by the use, whether real or threatened, of radioactive agents.
- Strengthening religious coexistence by searching for ways to contain the religious divide in the Balkans and to protect the traditional religious tolerance that has existed historically.
- Understanding the reliance of modern society on secure and reliable information and the problems that ensue when this information is either corrupted or disrupted.
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Information and Communications Security (ICS)
The SPS Committee’s Advisory Panel on Information and Communications Security (ICS) was established in recognition of the fact that electronic communication in Partner countries, especially Internet-based communication, must be improved so as to bring scientists into better contact with one another and with the international scientific community. The aim of the Panel’s efforts is to help ensure that Internet connectivity is adequate in these countries and that it is used optimally and securely. Grants recommended by the Advisory Panel provide assistance for the purchase of equipment to improve electronic connectivity in a specific geographic area. Activities reviewed by the Advisory Panel also endeavor to harmonize network policies both within Partner countries and between these countries and the international community. These activities include fora at which policy-makers, network administrators, support staff and technical users coordinate the planning and development of the necessary infrastructure. A parallel emphasis is placed on training. Workshops are employed to impart knowledge and exchange experience in policies, procedures and technology. The Panel also concerns itself with information security and it reviews proposals for research on countermeasures against cyber terrorism including such subjects as cryptography, identification and authorization, privacy and data protection and security tools.
Activities recommended by this panel have included:
- Establishing the Virtual Silk Highway Project .
- Creating satellite segments to connect universities, high schools and mobile systems.
- Upgrading Networking Training Centers to provide students with the skills necessary to use, maintain and extend electronic networks.
- Developing virtual communities that rely on electronic communication to share scientific expertise.
- Establishing distance-learning projects.
- Addressing the new security threat of cyber terrorism by characterizing the potential types of attack and associated risks associated,
- Examining the role of government in combating cyber crime.
- Examining the use of security measures such as authentication and authorization, intrusion detection and integrity verification procedures.
- Ensuring information security in wireless networks by means of high level programming methods and other strategies.
- Creating Computer Emergency Response Teams and supporting their initial operations.
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