In this episode of Orion Talks, Suat Cubukcu is joined by Travis Moran, a renowned expert in electric infrastructure security. Travis provides an in-depth overview of what constitutes critical infrastructure within the realm of electric energy, highlighting essential assets beyond nuclear power plants. He sheds light on the major threats facing U.S. electric infrastructure, discussing their vulnerabilities and the extent to which they are exposed. The discussion extends to the proliferation and expansion of unmanned systems, such as drones, and the additional risks they pose to the infrastructure. Travis explains the legal and policy challenges in countering unmanned aerial systems (UAS) threats. He concludes with strategic measures that policymakers should take to mitigate these risks.
Travis Moran is a retired law enforcement professional with over 30 years of enforcement, security, and intelligence experience. Travis began his federal law enforcement career with the U.S. National Central Bureau – Interpol, before transitioning to the U.S. Department of State and then ultimately the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Upon retirement from federal service, Travis became a Senior Investigator with one of the nation’s largest electric utilities to conduct counter terrorism security risk assessments on the utility’s critical assets – to include those of national importance regarding the operation of the United States’ Bulk Power System. He has also served as the Senior Physical Security Specialist for NERC’s Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC), where he helped found and lead the utility sector’s Physical Security Advisory Group (PSAG) which is dedicated to identifying and staying abreast of current and emergent threats to the North American Electric Power Grid (Grid) – to include drones. He currently serves as a Senior Reliability and Security Advisor for SERC Reliability Corporation, one of six regional entities charged with securing the reliability and security of the Grid through outreach, assistance, and training. Travis holds a Master of Arts in Criminology, Law, and Society from George Mason University, a Master of Science in Criminology from Indiana State University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University.
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Orion Policy Institute (OPI) is an independent, non-profit, tax-exempt think tank focusing on a broad range of issues at the local, national, and global levels. OPI does not take institutional policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions represented herein should be understood to be solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of OPI.
