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Ylber Bajraktari
Vice President, Special Competitive Studies ProjectOpening keynote on how AI is reshaping the balance of power and what it means for national security.
CYBER & DEFENSE CONFERENCEPRISHTINA, KOSOVO / 2026
The Future of AI
in National Security
01 ↓
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
DATE19 Nov 2026
TIME09:00 — 12:30
VENUEInnovation Centre Kosovo
Palace of Youth & Sports, Amphitheatre
Palace of Youth & Sports, Amphitheatre
02THE MISSION
AI is changing
how nations defend
A forum in Prishtina on technology, alliances, and the future of national security.
DEFENDX 2026 brings together government officials, international fellows, industry, and researchers to examine how artificial intelligence is transforming intelligence, cyber, military, and diplomatic operations, and what small democracies like Kosovo must do to keep pace.
03THE KEYNOTES
Keynote Speakers
DEFENDX 2026
Professor Daniel Serwer
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)Keynote remarks on alliances, security, and how smaller democracies navigate a changing world.
To be confirmed
Keynote speaker · announcement soonThe third keynote voice for DEFENDX 2026 will be announced soon.
19 Nov 2026
8 SESSIONS09:00
Registration & Doors Open
ARRIVAL09:30
Welcome Remarks
09:35
Opening Keynote
How AI is reshaping the balance of power and what it means for national security.
SPEAKER
Ylber BajraktariVice President, Special Competitive Studies Project
09:45
Keynote Remarks
Alliances, security, and how smaller democracies navigate a changing world.
SPEAKER
Professor Daniel SerwerSenior Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins SAIS
10:00
Ukraine and the Future of War
PANEL 01Putin's war against Ukraine has tragically become the proving ground for modern warfare. Cheap attritable drones and interceptors, commercial satellite imagery and connectivity, battlefield software, and rapid innovation at the front have changed how wars are fought and how smaller states can defend against larger adversaries. The war is also fought in the information space, where the Kremlin pairs its military campaign with sustained cognitive warfare. This panel will examine how Russia has adapted its forces and technology since its full-scale invasion began in 2022, what frontline innovation looks like in practice, and how nations such as Kosovo can build credible deterrence against the full range of hybrid threats through new technologies.
PANEL SPEAKER
Bryan DaughertyUkraine Program Manager, Spirit of America
PANEL SPEAKER
Kateryna StepanenkoRussia Team Lead & Deputy Director of the Cognitive Warfare Project, Institute for the Study of War
PANEL SPEAKER
Enis HyseniSystems, AI & Drone Engineer, MIGA SkyShield
MODERATOR
Arianit PllanaChief of Staff, Stendr
10:50
The Alliance Infrastructure for Technology Cooperation
PANEL 02As technology becomes central to economic strength and national security, no nation can secure its future alone. Trusted supply chains, shared standards, secure digital infrastructure, and joint research increasingly depend on allies and partners working together, and so does defending critical sectors against cybercrime and state-backed attacks. This panel brings perspectives from government, international cyber diplomacy, and technology policy from around the world. Speakers will discuss how allies can strengthen our collaboration across cyber and technology domains, shape the rules for responsible state behavior, and consider the opportunities and risks for nations like Kosovo in the global tech competition.
PANEL SPEAKER
Dylan GlouryDirector AI Security Policy, Department of Home Affairs (Australia)
PANEL SPEAKER
Pavlina PavlovaFounder, Critical Cyber
MODERATOR
Megan ShahiDirector, Technology Policy, Center for American Progress
11:40
The Future of AI and National Security
PANEL 03Artificial intelligence is transforming the conduct, cost, and scale of nations' intelligence, cyber, information, military, diplomatic, and other national security operations. It is also changing how societies inform and govern themselves. This panel will take on the challenge from three angles. First, the models themselves: how AI is evolving, and how developers and governments can make models secure and trustworthy, including removing sensitive data, vulnerabilities, and biases from systems after they are trained. Second, the information space: how AI is accelerating foreign information manipulation and disinformation, and how governments, militaries, and civil society can build resilience against it. Third, AI in society and governance: drawing on lessons from Ukraine, how democracies can put AI to work for public institutions and democratic resilience, and stay ahead of authoritarian competitors.
PANEL SPEAKER
Ben LuriaCo-Founder and CEO, Hirundo
PANEL SPEAKER
Camilla ChapmanLeadInSecurity Fellow, NATO
PANEL SPEAKER
Donika EminiSenior Security Expert; Executive Director, d-squarea
MODERATOR
Rishi IyengarStaff Writer, Foreign Policy magazine
12:30
Networking Lunch
04PAST EDITIONS
Three editions so far
3RD EDITION
DEFENDX 2025
AI Attacks & Defense
Concluded · 09 December 2025
2ND EDITION
DEFENDX 2024
The Future of Security Intelligence & Defense
Concluded · 24 October 2024
1ST EDITION
DEFENDX 2023
Navigating Cyber Risks, Empowering Business Resilience
Concluded · 24 October 202305ORGANIZERS
