ERAC 2026 Montenegro
"Hybrid Threats"
ERAC 2026 has chosen Hybrid Threats as its central theme in recognition of the increasingly complex and interconnected challenges facing modern societies. Today’s threats often cross traditional boundaries, combining cyber activity, disinformation, emerging technologies, criminal activity, attacks on critical infrastructure and other forms of disruption.
Addressing these challenges requires more than the response of any single institution. Through ERAC 2026, we aim to encourage greater awareness, preparedness and cooperation between public authorities, emergency services, security professionals, academia and the private sector.
Well-chosen topics
This year’s event was opened by the remarkable David A. Westbrook, an American author, academic, and distinguished legal expert known for his extensive work on international relations and global governance. His address set the stage for a thought-provoking program focused on the theme “Global Threat Scenarios.”
Professor Westbrook introduced key global developments shaping today’s security landscape and highlighted the complex interplay between geopolitical, technological, and societal risks. His insights provided a strong foundation for the discussions that followed, inviting participants to reflect on the challenges and uncertainties facing the international community in the years ahead.
Dr. Lorcan Byrne and Dan Prastalo delivered an impactful presentation on Frontline Crisis Response, offering a detailed insight into real-time decision-making and operational challenges during critical incidents. Drawing from their direct experience, they provided a first-responder perspective on the 2019 DusitD2 Hotel (14 Riverside Complex) terrorist attack, illustrating how rapid assessment, coordinated action, and resilience on the ground shape the outcome of such high-risk situations. Their presentation offered participants a rare, authentic look into the realities of responding to complex crises.
The event also provided a highly productive platform for discussion between the speakers and university students, who posed a range of complex and thoughtful questions. The exchanges offered valuable insights that will support students in their future research and case studies, enriching their academic understanding and preparing them for work in real-world security and crisis-response contexts.
WHO WE ARE
Meet the Speakers
Prof. David A. Westbrook (USA)
Subject Matter Expert in Security,
Resilience & Organizational Risk Management
University at Buffalo Law School
State University of New York
David A. Westbrook is an internationally recognized expert in security, resilience, and organizational risk management. He specializes in human behaviour during crises, critical infrastructure protection, and counter-terrorism, advising governments, law enforcement agencies, and international organizations on improving preparedness and emergency response. A respected author, researcher, and keynote speaker, his work focuses on strengthening resilience and enhancing operational effectiveness in complex security environments.
Capt. Alexandre Rodde (FRA)
Terrorism and Mass Casualty Attack Analyst
Law Enforcement Consultant
Security Insight
French National Gendarmerie
Capt. Alexandre Rodde is a Captain in the Operational Reserve of the French National Gendarmerie, a security consultant, terrorism and mass casualty incident analyst, and expert for the Versailles Fire Department. He has trained more than 80 tactical units on counter-terrorism, active attacker response, and crisis management in France and the United States. An internationally recognised speaker, researcher, and author, his work focuses on terrorism, violent extremism, emergency response, and enhancing operational preparedness for law enforcement and security
professionals.
Rolf Fauser (GER)
Document Expert | DOKIQ Project Lead
Forensic Document Examination & AI
University of Applied Police Sciences Baden-Württemberg
Rolf Fauser is a retired German police officer and document expert specialising in forensic document examination and the application of artificial intelligence. After studying Print and Media at the University of Stuttgart and completing specialist document expert training at the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), he became Head of the Document Section at the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in Stuttgart. Since 2020, he has been the initiator and project lead of DOKIQ, an innovative project combining a specialised knowledge database with AI-based software for document examination. The project has received more than €1.5 million in funding. Following his retirement in 2025, he continues his academic work as a lecturer in forensic science and document examination and as a scientific assistant in applied artificial intelligence. He previously served as Chairman of the European Document Experts Working Group (EDEWG), representing 38 countries and 92 forensic laboratories.
Prof. Mark Maguire (IRL)
Professor of Anthropology | Author
Subject Matter Expert
Maynooth University - NUIM
Professor Mark Maguire is Professor of Anthropology at Maynooth University and an internationally recognized author on security, counter-terrorism, policing, surveillance, and behavioural detection.
His research examines public behaviour during terrorist attacks, security governance, and critical infrastructure protection. An acclaimed author, researcher, and keynote speaker, Professor Maguire has advised governments and international organizations and has published extensively on contemporary security, policing, and resilience.
Kyle Hardcastle (UK)
Intelligence & OSINT Specialist - Author
Former Law Enforcement Officer
Doyle Security Services
Kyle Hardcastle is Director of Intelligence & Analysis at Doyle Security Services and Co-Founder & CEO of Sentinel Metrics, specialising in OSINT and situational-awareness solutions for law enforcement and security professionals. A Senior Lecturer and researcher in Criminology at the University of Greenwich, Kyle previously served for over 16 years with the Metropolitan Police, including more than a decade specialising in counter-terrorism, threat assessment and intelligence at New Scotland Yard. He holds a Master’s degree in Terrorism & Political Violence, is currently a PhD candidate, and is the author of OSINT Rules of Engagement – UK and US.
Dr. Lorcan Byrne (IRL)
Subject Matter Expert
Former Memeber of the Irish Special Forces (ARW)
Evolution Global Risk Management
Dr. Lorcan Byrne is a former member of the British Army's elite Parachute Regiment, the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) — Ireland's elite Tier 1 Special Operations Force — and An Garda Síochána, the Irish National Police Service. He was among the first responders to the Westgate Shopping Mall terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2013. Dr. Byrne holds a PhD from Maynooth University, where his research focuses on the transition of elite Special Forces personnel to civilian life. Throughout his career, he has delivered specialist training to the Iraqi Special Forces, supported high-risk security operations worldwide, and defended the Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters during the Battle of An Najaf, Iraq. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in counter-terrorism, executive protection, special operations, and crisis response.
Anthorpologist
Dr. Dan Podjed
is a Slovenian anthropologist, a researcher at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, an associate professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, and an advisor at the Innovation and Development Institute of the University of Ljubljana.
Psychologist
Dr. Kristijan Musek Lešnik
writer, speaker, and teacher started his teaching career at the College for Police and Security Studies in Ljubljana. He is currently a Chair of the Positive Psychology Centre at the University of Primorska (Slovenia).
Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs
& Zavod Utrip
Matej Košir
He is the director of the “Utrip” Institute, the President of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, and a former President of ICARA. He has been working for more than 25 years in the field of prevention and advocacy related to alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and addictions.
NGO for Nonviolent Communication
Katja Zabukovec Kerin
is the founder and president of the Association for Nonviolent Communication, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. It is the largest non-governmental organization in Slovenia working in the field of preventing and stopping various forms of violence.
ADHD Expert
Matic Novak
Co-founder of the Institute for the Development of ADHD Potential, where he combines his personal experience with an ADHD diagnosis with work in education, support, and counseling for children, adolescents, and adults with the condition. As a former paramedic and mountain rescuer, he approaches topics of attention and hyperactivity through scientific and practical methods.
Principle of Primary School
Mag. Ingrid Klemenčič
is a social pedagogue, the principal of Simon Jenko Primary School in Kranj, and a co-founder of the Institute for the Development of ADHD Potential. She is the co-author of the Handbook on Addressing Domestic Violence for Educational Institutions, as well as the Protocols for the Identification and Handling of Peer Violence.
Institute for Criminology UL
Dr. Katja Filipčič
is a professor of criminal law at the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana. Her research focuses on various forms of violence, particularly domestic violence, peer violence, and juvenile delinquency. She has contributed to the development of legislation addressing violence.
COLLABORATION
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COLLABORATION
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PRESS
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