Washington, DC, October 2, 2008-- Ammar Qusaibaty, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS) and Partner at Oxantium Ventures, LLC, served a member of the expert judging panel for the Southeastern Universities Research Association’s inaugural Intellectual Property to Market ("IP2M") award event ". IP2M is designed to highlight, promote, and challenge the most promising technologies, intellectual property and talent from over 60 colleges and universities in the United States. The event attracted teams of SURA-affiliated researchers, students, and/or university staff, as well as angel and VC investors, government reps, and key service providers. “We are very excited to attract and mobilize so many promising technologies and teams among our SURA base,” said Jerry P. Draayer, SURA President & CEO. “We feel this is the next logical step in pulling disparate commercialization resources together, and enhancing collaborative innovation for our footprint and the United States.” Presentations made to the judging panel were given by start-up companies in a number of sectors including energy, cleantech, life sciences, infotech, and nanotech.

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Washington, DC, October 1, 2008-- Chris Mason, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS), published an article in the October 2008 edition of The Atlantic Monthly, "All Counterinsurgency is Local", presenting an analysis of the American effort in Afghanistan to date and urging for a reevaluation of the strategic paradigm which has guided the effort. In a follow-up radio interview on "New York Times radio and the BBC ", Mason warns that the overwhelming success of U.S. forces in tactical battle situations has created a hubris which all too often leads to the perception of a strategic victory. Drawing from historical precedents Mason warns that the current U.S. strategy of “administering and securing Afghanistan from urban centers such as Kabul and the provincial capitals” is identical to the strategy employed by the Soviet Union during their misadventures in the region. Urging a revised approach to U.S. operations, Mason advises the creation of small development teams at the district level which simultaneously empower the domestic police forces and serve as the primary vehicles for Afghan rural development.

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Annapolis, Maryland, July 25th, 2008-- Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cassidy, Ph.D., a fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS), served on a panel to discuss the changing cognitive implications presented by the proliferation of armed groups as a security phenomenon in the twenty-first century. The National Strategy Information Center’s Consortium on the Study of Intelligence and the U.S. Naval War College’s Strategy and Policy Department hosted this seminar which examined the topic, “Armed Groups and Irregular Warfare.” This year's event addressed the specialized knowledge requirements for professional military development and educational institutions. The event served as a venue for distinguished speakers from government, academia, the joint military, and service academic institutions to address pedagogical methods for educating professionals on the complexities of the diverse array of armed groups. Bob Cassidy’s panel presentation focused on how military educational institutions can develop a better understanding in their practitioners of how to analyze and undermine armed groups and insurgents.

West Point, New York, June 5th to June 7th, 2008-- Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cassidy,Ph.D., a fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS), served on a panel to discuss the changing national security environment and its implications on Military Professionals at the United States Military Academy (USMA) conference. Hosted during the senior conference “The Professional Military Ethic in an Era of Persistent Conflict”, this year's event addressed the challenges that significantly affect the development of the Army's professional officer corps in a strategic era marked by new challenges and opportunities. The event served as a forum for distinguished representatives from government, academia, business, the think-tank community, and the joint military services-to discuss topics related to how future strategic environments will influence the knowledge bases,competencies, and values necessary for the Army's officer's corps. Dr. Cassidy discussed the the implications for the army profession in a current and future national security environment characterized by a preponderance of irregular wars. His talk specifically addressed military roles, adaptation, lesson learning, and the notion of moral rectitude in what he described as a protracted war of ideas.

France,12 July,2008--CADS was proud to sponsor the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP) 31st Annual Scientific Meeting held at Sciences Po in Paris, France from July 9 through July 12. The conference focused primarily on facilitating a constructive dialogue regarding the socio-political challenges facing our world and how they may be understood by employing psychological paradigms.

Dr. Jerrold Post, CADS chief scientist in political psychology and the director of the political psychology program at the George Washington University (GWU), presented a discussion on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the extent to which the Iranian President’s religious beliefs influence his political decision-making. Additionally, Dr. Post analyzed the perspectives on contemporary terrorism and so-called “homegrown terrorists”. The event was attended by a multitude of intellectuals, researchers, and experts from across the globe interested in exploring the complex dynamics of political psychology and the important role it plays in understanding the current geopolitical climate.