U.S. Consul General Chennai Chris Hodges and Tamil Nadu Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan hosted the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) India Annual General Meeting on October 24 in Chennai with the aim of fostering cooperation among U.S. Government and U.S. private-sector security professionals across India.
OSAC is a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and security professionals from U.S. organisations operating abroad. Together, OSAC members share timely security information and maintain strong bonds for the protection of U.S. interests overseas.
The U.S. Consulate General Chennai and diplomatic and corporate security personnel across India used the conference to collaborate with U.S. and Indian private sector partners on training, consultations, events, alerts, and analysis.
Diplomatic Security Regional Security Officer Scott Schonauer from U.S. Consulate General Chennai said, “As security specialists and partners, we aim to build trust through networks with Indian private sector counterparts that model gender equity, and better anticipate security issues, including identifying and tracking threats.”
Tamil Nadu IT Minister Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said, “I am happy this historic event is taking place in Chennai. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) are in the DNA of Tamil Nadu. It is good to see OSAC too is following the same. The scale of today’s event is reflective of U.S.-India relationship – commercially and strategically. In this era of targeted threats, we need to stay advanced and keep learning everyday to keep ourselves safe. OSAC is a great model of private-public partnership.”
In an unprecedented gathering, the OSAC India AGM in Chennai witnessed over 500 delegates, marking the largest turnout in its history. This milestone event introduced the “Security Excellence Awards” for the first time, recognizing 14 diverse leaders for their invaluable contributions to the security fraternity. The AGM showcased enhanced industry collaboration with support from 25 different partners. A notable partnership with Rashtriya Raksha University, Pondicherry, enabled 25 student volunteers to actively participate, engage, and learn from various security leaders.
With the theme “Together, Stronger, and Safer,” the OSAC India team gathered to promote diversity, cooperation, collaboration, connectivity, and best practices among U.S. Government and private sector security professionals across India. OSAC continues to create a safer operating environment through its private-public partnerships”
SECURITY TODAY was the Media Partner to this event.
