International Biosecurity Threat Simulation Utilizes Secured Communications

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Secured Communications, LLC, the global leader in safeguarding corporate and agency communications, has been utilized for sensitive information sharing by Pacific Eclipse, a two-day immersive, international, multi-jurisdictional biosecurity simulation exercise involving high-profile experts from multiple countries. The event simulated a pathogenic pandemic, including possible regional and global impacts to health care, resource availability, government actions, travel, economic disruption and social responses poignantly similar to current events surrounding the Coronavirus epidemic.

Secured Communications was selected for use because the exercise presented and shared highly sensitive information centered on the potential evolution, response and global impact of a hypothetical terrorist attack involving a bio-engineered infectious agent. During the two-day exercise, Secured Communications was used as the encrypted communications platform for live interactive messaging and information sharing to provide a fully encrypted, real-time information exchange for participants at all three exercise locations across six time zones.

"We were pleased that more than 33,000 messages exchanging highly sensitive information were shared among participants, presenters and speakers representing high-profile agencies and institutions from the US, Australia, UK, Canada and the European Union," stated Robert Wilson, CEO Secured Communications.

Pacific Eclipse was an invitation only, immersive bio-threat simulation conducted simultaneously at three sites across the USA (Washington DC, Phoenix and Honolulu), with cooperation from the U.S. Defense Department, Indo-Pacific Command.

The event was hosted and coordinated by the PLuS Alliance (UNSW Sydney, Arizona State University and King's College London) and Stratium Global, and with the cooperation of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Pacific Eclipse was highly unique in that it focused on cross-disciplinary responses at global, national and local levels in several countries. Leading international experts in medicine, virology, epidemiology, infectious diseases, veterinary medicine, public health, emergency response management, public policy, national defense, law enforcement and related disciplines participated in the exercise, sharing research findings, recommendations and expertise as the "table-top" simulation progressed.

"Secured Communications worked phenomenally well for us during the two-day event. It was especially important for our speakers and participants to be able to share information in real-time as the simulation unfolded, but it was absolutely essential that the mobile communication between our three locations be protected and encrypted because of the very sensitive nature of the exercise," said Dr. Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity and NHMRC Principal Research Fellow at the Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, and organizer of Pacific Eclipse.

The two-day, interactive tabletop exercise (TTX) involved a hypothetical unknown epidemic arising in the Pacific and focused on assessing inter-agency and international response to a pandemic disaster. The event challenged participants to think outside their own disciplines and jurisdictions and came to the event 'cold', with no prior briefing or preparation. Tensions between global, national and local priorities were tested using interactive polling and live decision making. Immediate feedback was provided on the impact of decisions about resources and operations using mathematical modelling of the epidemic and debriefing on identified gaps were integrated into the TTX.

SOURCE Secured Communications, LLC.