The Biden Administration is committed to building a more sustainable and resilient future while tackling the climate crisis and creating jobs. This means investing in and building a resilient infrastructure that can withstand increasingly severe floods, wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, and other risks. At the same, the U.S. critical infrastructure is under attack from growing persistent and sophisticated cyber threats. High-profile attacks on SolarWinds Corp., the Colonial Pipeline and JBS Foods demonstrate that cyber vulnerabilities can have debilitating effects on national and economic security as well as public health and safety. Protecting the nation’s data assets, critical infrastructure, and the systems that control this infrastructure from cyberattacks and other risks is essential for national and economic security.

As the federal government tackles the climate emergency and other sustainability issues, agencies must harness the power of data  and science to achieve outcomes that help build a more resilient government and nation. To that end, a “whole of government” approach is needed, not just a few departments, to address the myriad security, science, and sustainability challenges of today, from climate change to clean energy to cybersecurity. Security, science, and sustainability are interconnected, and all are related to resilience, the ability to withstand and respond to changes—whether environmental, social, or health related. This aligns with the theme of AFCEA Bethesda’s Energy, Infrastructure and Environment (EIE) Summit, Modernizing for a Resilient Future: Security, Science & Sustainability.

The EIE Summit will convene leaders from federal energy, infrastructure, and environment agencies to discuss the modernization efforts that must be undertaken to ensure a sustainable future. Keynote addresses and panel discussions with government leaders, will be followed by a networking reception to close out the day.