President William Ruto has challenged officers who graduated from the National Defence College in Karen to think broadly about countering insecurity beyond the traditional ordinary threats.
The President said technology has introduced complex strategic threats and digital technology is particularly proving to be radically disruptive on a continuing basis.
Ruto said security is no longer defined by the old-fashioned protection of persons and property from violent injury or destruction or the absence of such threats.
“Until recently, pragmatic understanding of security threats worked on the primary assumption that hostile armed parties are inevitably involved and that the challenge was to develop sufficient offensive, defensive and deterrent capabilities, and to deploy them effectively to promote clearly defined objectives,” Ruto said.
“Today, we all understand that, in addition to armed groups, hostile parties can organise and deploy at other more insidious levels, both from outside our territory and also from deep inside our communities.”
The President noted that the rise of Artificial Intelligence has multiplied digital threats beyond anyone’s imagination and vulnerability to digital mischief will amplify as we automate and digitise more.
He said we cannot afford to deny the existence of service attacks as we continue to rely on digital technology to support many aspects of our lives like banking and token purchases as this only runs the risk of intensifying our vulnerability.
“For example, it is now possible to generate believable images and fake news using AI just as it is possible to execute sophisticated identity theft and generate a virtual replica to successfully impersonate actual people and, in their name, cause harm and commit crime,” Ruto said.
“Aside from the victims of such harm, the persons whose identity is hijacked in this manner can get into all sorts of complicated problems.”
The President further pointed out that drivers of conflict and insecurity have evolved from the era where security sector professionals never bothered to concern themselves with developments in the political, economic or ecological sphere.
“Not so anymore. We know that scarcity of vital resources, especially water and pasture as well as food, creates volatility and tension that can lead to conflict and violent disorder. Extreme vulnerability and its underlying dynamics deserve the full attention of military and security sector leaders like you,” Ruto said.
Towards this end, the President called for collaboration between security agencies in addressing the evolving security risks facing the country.
“In other words,” he said, “We must see the disciplinary landscape of security strategy as borderless,” the President said.
The Chief of Defence Forces said he has no doubt the officers are all highly equipped intellectually for the tasks they will be called upon to perform having undergone a thorough course of rigorous training at an outstanding institution of excellence.
“Congratulations are much in order, therefore, to you for attaining a level of command, proficiency and professional development which enables you to play leading roles in advancing our national defence and security agenda,” Ruto said.