Essay Contest Explores Insider Threats

Editors at the U.S. Army War College "War Room" blog, in partnership with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSDI), have called for essays regarding insider threats, and how to respond and counter such threats. Deadline for the contest is Dec. 15, 2019.

The winning essay will be published on the "War Room" blog. The top three essays will be published by the Defense Personnel and Security Research Center's (PERSEREC) Threat Lab.

Essays must be new and unpublished material. Contest is open to all, regardless of whether civilian or military. U.S. citizenship is not a requirement. One submission per contributor. Up to two co-authors may collaborate on a given essay.

According to the essay contest announcement:

Insider incidents such as the Washington Navy Yard Shooting or the Manning/Wikileaks case affect both public and private organizations and cause immense damage including loss of life, weakened national security, the compromise of sensitive or classified information, acts of workplace violence, damage to an organization’s reputation and morale, and billions of dollars lost to trade secret theft, fraud, or sabotage. […]

[…] Essays must relate to the broad topic “Insider Threat, Counter Insider Threat and US Security.” The topic is broad and may include (but is not limited to) threats from an insider; the balance between monitoring user activity and protecting privacy and civil liberties; individual/personal trust; organizational trust; responding to or mitigating damage from an insider threat or attack; critical thinking related to insider threats or responding to them; and a secure society. [...]

More generally, editorial mission of the "War Room" blog states:

"War Room" publishes articles and features on a wide variety of topics related to defense, strategic theory, theater and campaign planning, military innovation, the future of war, the history of war, national security, professional military education, military organizations, international relations, and leadership. The strategic environment is a complicated one, and War Room seeks to publish provocative and engaging content to promote the sound strategic thinking necessary to tackle these complicated problems.

Suggested themes or topics include, but are not limited to:

• Privacy and security
• Trust
• Limits to information sharing/mitigation
• Workforce reporting
• Evolution of the threat
• Organizations
• Insider-threat management
• Assessment

Submit entries via e-mail with subject "Insider Threat Essay Contest" to: WarRoomEditors AT gmail DOT com

*****

You can receive exclusive early-bird notice of military-themed writing opportunities, events, and markets! Join our community of practice for as little as $1 a month! Details here: www.patreon.com/aimingcircle.