IACI to host Black Sky Symposium on critical infrastructure security at Kennedy Space Center

By AI, Created 9:49 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The International Association of Certified ISAOs and Hannibal Strategy & Security will convene the Black Sky Symposium June 9-11 at NASA/Kennedy Space Center to focus on critical infrastructure protection, intelligence sharing and cross-sector response. The event includes a China/Taiwan tabletop exercise, a private dinner under Space Shuttle Atlantis and free resilience training tied to the symposium.

Why it matters: - Critical infrastructure operators face cyber and physical threats that can ripple across communications, water, wastewater and transportation systems. - The symposium is built to push public-private security groups toward shared response plans, not just discussion. - The event ties together security convergence, intelligence sharing and resilience training in one setting.

What happened: - The International Association of Certified ISAOs (IACI), headquartered at NASA/Kennedy Space Center, and Hannibal Strategy & Security announced the Black Sky Symposium for June 9-11 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. - The event is designed to bring public-private critical infrastructure stakeholders together to strengthen security resilience against current and emerging global threats. - The symposium includes a private dinner on June 9 under Space Shuttle Atlantis. - A Black Sky Event enhanced tabletop exercise will anchor the program, using a China/Taiwan scenario. - Registration is open through the event registration form and the symposium page.

The details: - The U.S. Office of National Intelligence’s March 2026 Annual Threat Assessment Report warned that cyber adversaries can pre-position or execute disruptive and destructive attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure and other targets. - The symposium’s strategic focus includes security convergence across physical, geospatial, cyber, AI and cyber-physical domains. - Organizers say the goal is to accelerate actionable intelligence sharing and break down long-standing silos between public and private operators. - Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is scheduled to attend and speak on critical infrastructure security resilience. - Collins’ address will focus on strategic integration of physical and digital defenses and on public-private partnership in the face of global threats. - Collins is also expected to emphasize synchronized public-private response and the use of IACI’s global information sharing, analysis and response infrastructure. - Stephen Volandt, president of the Foundation for Infrastructure Resilience, said China, Russia, Iran and North Korea have spent the last decade pre-positioning to attack U.S. critical infrastructure during a Taiwan contingency. - Volandt said the exercise is meant to produce actionable next steps by combining cross-sector intelligence sharing with a wargame-enhanced exercise. - Attendees will receive security resilience training and certification that organizers say will be provided at no cost to participants and their organizations. - Attendance is limited to keep the event interactive.

Between the lines: - The symposium reflects a broader shift from siloed cybersecurity toward integrated defense across physical systems, digital systems and operational response. - The China/Taiwan scenario signals that organizers are treating geopolitical conflict as a direct planning input for U.S. infrastructure risk. - Bringing state leadership, federal-sector veterans and industry groups into one exercise suggests the event is meant to bridge policy, intelligence and operations.

What’s next: - Participants will take part in the tabletop exercise and related collaboration sessions during the June 9-11 gathering. - Organizers plan to develop Security Resilience Training & Certification from the symposium outcomes. - IACI and Hannibal Strategy & Security are positioning the event as a recurring model for public-private critical infrastructure coordination.

The bottom line: - The Black Sky Symposium is being pitched as a working session for infrastructure defense, with intelligence sharing, scenario-based planning and training all aimed at faster coordinated response.