Rome hosts event on Medical and Epidemic Intelligence in Hybrid Warfare
On October 17, 2026, leading figures from defence, academia, intelligence, and healthcare will gather at the Europa Experience – David Sassoli Hall in Rome for the symposium: "Health Threats and National Security in Hybrid-Cognitive Conflicts: Relational Dimensions of Psychological-Cognitive Resilience within an Extended One Health and Intelligence Perspective." This event responds to geopolitical conflict shifting into hybrid and cognitive domains, and to the intersection of biosecurity and health governance, underscoring a frontline national security imperative.
Organised by CeAS (Centre for High Studies) in collaboration with I.PSI.trauma.MED and IPU (Salesian University of Rome), under the patronage of the International Conflict Society and initiated by MEP Salvatore De Meo, the conference places medical and epidemiological intelligence at the centre of institutional resilience.
Dr Marco Filippi, Crisis Management and CBRNe Subject Matter Expert at Counter-Terrorism Medicine Europe and a key figure on the organising committee, bridges frontline tactical response with strategic medical intelligence to counter biological, chemical, and cognitive threats. Alongside him, Dr Marco Serale advances epidemic intelligence, deploying early-warning methods, epidemiological surveillance, and intelligence analytics to detect, attribute, and neutralise health-related disruptions before they destabilise state institutions.
The first session tackles Health Security and Cognitive Hybrid Conflicts, analysing how weaponised disinformation and health-sector disruptions act as asymmetric levers against democratic societies. The second session explores Extended One Health and Psychological-Cognitive Resilience, linking pathogen biosurveillance across ecosystems to the cognitive endurance operators and civilian populations need during sustained crises. The final session addresses Intelligence and Health Resilience Governance, establishing concrete pathways to integrate medical intelligence into national decision-making matrices and European defence strategies.
The symposium will run from 09:30 to 16:30 CEST on October 17, 2026, at the Europa Experience – Sala David Sassoli, Piazza Venezia, Rome. Due to high institutional interest and restricted capacity, pre-registration is mandatory and closes on October 15, 2026. Accredited delegates, researchers, and defence practitioners can secure attendance by contacting info@ipsitraumamed.org.
