Mr. Janis Sarts, Director of the Strategic Communications Center of Excellence, has been invited to make an appearance before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on June 28, 2017 to serve as witness in an open hearing on Russian Intervention in European Elections.
Mr. Sarts has been invited along with other notable speakers such as Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Vesko Garcevic, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at Frederick Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, and Dr. Constanze Stelzenmueller, and Bosch Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Mr. Janis Sarts’ focal discussion points will be as follows:
- The mission of the Riga based NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
- Latest research findings by the NATO StratCom COE on Russia’s information activities in the cyber domain and beyound
- Russia’s motive behind establishing an “information fog” and why it has been proven effective in today’s technologically dependent society
- Russia’s various tactics of information manipulation such as the usage of traditional media outlets to promote Kremlin propaganda stories and “fake news”, election meddling in order to further promote pro-Russian candidates and robotic trolling
- How such tactics can be used in both virtual and physical realms
- Response mechanisms government bodies are currently utilizing as a way of countering Russia’s cyber attacks
Furthermore, Mr. Sarts will share the significance of information warfare for the future of the political process worldwide, the role of the internet and social media in news and propaganda, and the role for keystone work of accredited international institutions such as the NATO StratCom COE.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is made up of 15 senators, and was created during 1976 by the Senate to oversee and generate studies on the United States Government in order to ensure complete compliance and conformity with the Constitution of the United States of America. Fellow members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence include Mr. Richard Burr, North Carolina Chairman, and Mark Warner, Virginia Vice Chairman. Committee activities include hearings, legislation, investigations and reviews, confirmation, analysis, and daily oversight. Hearings are predominantly comprised of appearances made by senior Intelligence Community officials who present testimonies and provide responses to Senators’ enquiries.
A previous appearance made before The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence includes that of James Comey, former FBI Director.