Introduction

In an era marked by hybrid threats, geopolitical tensions, cyber vulnerabilities, terrorism, pandemics, and environmental risks, nations must rely on accurate and forward-looking risk assessment frameworks to protect national interests. The Strategic Risk Assessment for National Security Training Course is a highly specialized program designed to equip security professionals, analysts, policymakers, and institutional leaders with the knowledge and tools to evaluate, prioritize, and mitigate complex risks to national stability. This course empowers participants to anticipate evolving threats, apply intelligence-driven assessment methodologies, and support high-level decision-making across defense, intelligence, and civil protection domains.

Drawing on best practices from global security institutions and intelligence communities, the course focuses on strengthening institutional capacity in national risk governance, scenario planning, and strategic foresight. It prepares participants to assess vulnerabilities across sectors—economic, cyber, defense, infrastructure, health, and the environment—ensuring that national security strategies are informed by data, foresight, and cross-sectoral collaboration. It also supports the development of robust risk communication and crisis preparedness systems that align with international standards and democratic accountability principles.

Target Audience

• National security and intelligence analysts
• Defense ministry officials and military planners
• Homeland security and counterterrorism professionals
• Risk assessment and crisis management advisors
• Strategic policy and national planning officers
• Civil protection and emergency response coordinators
• Cybersecurity and infrastructure protection specialists
• Researchers and consultants in security and geopolitics

Course Objectives

• Understand the core principles of strategic risk assessment in national security
• Identify and categorize strategic risks impacting national stability
• Apply scenario planning and threat modeling techniques
• Analyze emerging and unconventional security risks
• Integrate intelligence analysis into national risk frameworks
• Evaluate risks to critical infrastructure and key resources
• Strengthen inter-agency coordination in risk identification and mitigation
• Develop national security risk registers and strategic threat matrices
• Design resilience strategies to counter hybrid and asymmetrical threats
• Enhance institutional risk communication and policy integration
• Align strategic assessments with national defense and resilience agendas

Duration

5 Days

Course Outline

Module 1: Principles of Strategic Risk Assessment and National Security

• Foundations of national security risk frameworks
• Risk typologies: strategic, operational, tactical
• Intelligence-led versus traditional risk assessment models
• Interplay between threat, vulnerability, and consequence
• Case studies on national risk strategies

Module 2: Threat Identification and Risk Categorization

• Tools for identifying emerging security risks
• Prioritization matrices and risk rating techniques
• Open-source intelligence and classified information fusion
• Political, economic, cyber, and environmental risk categories
• Red teaming and adversarial analysis

Module 3: Scenario Planning and Strategic Foresight

• Building plausible future scenarios
• Trend analysis and horizon scanning methodologies
• Anticipatory governance in security planning
• Stress-testing national preparedness frameworks
• Use of simulation models in high-stakes policy decisions

Module 4: Critical Infrastructure Risk and Interdependencies

• Identifying vulnerabilities in infrastructure networks
• Interdependency mapping and cascading effects
• Threats to energy, water, transport, health, and communication systems
• Public-private collaboration on infrastructure security
• Continuity planning and sectoral resilience

Module 5: Cyber Threat Intelligence and Digital Risk Mapping

• National cybersecurity threat landscapes
• Risk assessment in digital infrastructure and information systems
• Incident response readiness and cyberattack mitigation
• Insider threats, disinformation, and social engineering
• Cross-border coordination in cyber defense

Module 6: Institutional Coordination and Risk Governance

• Whole-of-government approaches to national risk
• Inter-agency data sharing and intelligence fusion centers
• Roles of defense, interior, and foreign ministries in risk oversight
• Institutional risk registers and reporting systems
• Enhancing transparency, oversight, and decision accountability

Module 7: Strategic Communication and Decision Support

• Communicating risk to political leadership and the public
• Risk framing, messaging, and political timing
• Designing actionable intelligence briefs
• National-level crisis communication protocols
• Ethics and misinformation management in high-risk environments

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org  Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org  Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 10 working days before commencement of the training.