SECURUS Conducts Workshops on Advanced Conventional Weapons in Georgia

In July 2023, SECURUS Strategic Trade Solutions, in partnership with the Civil Council on Defense and Security (CCDS), conducted the Workshops on Advanced Conventional Weapons and Ways to Identify, Assess, and Prevent Transactions with Prohibited and Malicious Entities. The three workshops occurred in Tbilisi, Georgia, with representatives of the Georgian government, industry, and financial institutions.

The workshops were funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (ISN/CTR).

SECURUS and CCDS met with the Georgian government on July 13 and 14, Georgian defense, telecommunications, and logistics companies on July 17 and 18, and Georgian financial institutions on July 20 and 21.

SECURUS subject-matter experts Richard Glen Young, Emily Holub, and Kevin Oney provided training on topics concerning advanced conventional weapons (modern, sophisticated conventional weapons designed for use by military forces) and related items such as ammunition, parts, components, accessories, military software and technology, and conventional dual-use goods, software, and technology (items that can be used for civilian or conventional military purposes).

Discussions addressed topics such as:

• Types of advanced conventional weapons and related items;

• Advanced conventional weapons proliferation and international responses to destinations, end-users, and end-uses of concern;

• Defense entities of concern, associated intermediaries, and how they procure advanced conventional weapons and related items;

• Ways to regulate transfers of advanced conventional weapons and related items;

• How government and companies can assess and mitigate risks in advanced conventional weapons logistics; and

• How government and financial institutions can prevent financial transactions with problematic entities (featuring presentations by international proliferation finance expert Dr. Togzhan Kassenova).

The workshops were a success. Participants engaged in extensive dialogue, raised many valuable questions and points, and expressed interest in continuing to explore this urgent topic.

SECURUS greatly appreciates the opportunity to meet with Georgian colleagues and the important contributions of the attendees and Georgian subject-matter experts to the discussions.

Author: Emily Holub, Emily.Holub@SECURUSTrade.com, August 2023