New Critical Infrastructure Challenges and Solutions

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-51296-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 216 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 453 g

New Critical Infrastructure Challenges and Solutions provides a comprehensive analysis of topics essential to the consideration and protection of critical infrastructures and services on an integrated and holistic level.

Through a methodological framework approach, this book examines the challenges presented by both traditional risks and emerging threats. This includes traditional pressures on critical infrastructure including weather events and natural disasters, as well as human-caused events like sabotage, industrial accidents, and terrorism. The focus of this book goes beyond these standard considerations to include game-changing, wholly impactful implications, such as: climate change, over-urbanization and the corresponding pressure on critical infrastructures, aging infrastructure and the lack of funds and political will for upgrades and maintenance, increasing risks of interdependencies and the cascading effects of such reliance, as well as hybrid threats that can include political and geographical conflicts—currently seen in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This book examines both developed countries, such as the U.S. and Canada, as well as small countries with limited resources and opportunities. In this, the authors examine the role that regional organizations such as the European Union (EU) can play in striving to standardize the behavior of member states, but also to help acceding countries and partner countries. The goal is to outline the different perspectives from which public and private institutions and owners of critical infrastructures approach challenges, with the intent to increase the means to increase cooperation and coordination toward the same goals: ultimately, to strength resilience and protecting critical infrastructures in the physical and cyber world.

Equipping readers with the tools and strategies needed to navigate the evolving landscape of critical infrastructure, this book is a valuable resource for professionals across numerous fields, such as cybersecurity, infrastructure management, risk assessment and public policy. It will also be of keen interest to students and academics who wish to develop their understanding of key infrastructure.

Zielgruppe

Professional Practice & Development and Professional Reference

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mikac, Robert

Lazari, Alessandro

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Strafrecht Rechtsmedizin, Forensik
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Klimawandel, Globale Erwärmung
• Rechtswissenschaften Öffentliches Recht Verwaltungsrecht Verwaltungspraxis Polizei
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Innen-, Bildungs- und Bevölkerungspolitik
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Militärwesen Nationale und Internationale Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction 2. The Impact of Climate Change on Critical Infrastructures 3. Challenges of Over-Urbanization and Pressure on Critical Infrastructures 4. Aging Critical Infrastructures and Lack of Funds for Its Maintenance 5. Interdependencies and Cascading Effects 6. Key Challenges for Critical Infrastructures Operation: Security-Political-Stability Related Scenarios 7. Hybrid Threats: The Hidden Danger to Critical Infrastructures 8. Critical Infrastructures Ownership: A Lever of Power and Political Influence 9. Conclusion References Index

Über Autor(innen)

Robert Mikac, PhD., is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb. He also teaches at the Croatian Military Academy “Dr. Franjo Tudman.” He specializes and has a scientific interest in the field of security studies, specifically in the areas of strategic management, crisis management and recovery, civil protection, migration, critical infrastructure protection, and cyber-security. He has expertise in Afghanistan and counterinsurgency operation themes. Prior to his academic career, he worked in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, civil protection, and the police. He has significant experience ranging from operational to strategic levels, both nationally and internationally, in matters related to international operations and project management. As an author and co-author, he has published eight books (in Croatian, English, and Macedonian) and around 60 scientific articles.

Alessandro Lazari, PhD., is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Security and Resilience of Critical Infrastructure (CRISR), Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy. He specialises in critical infrastructure security and resilience (CISR), EU regulatory frameworks— including the CER Directive, NIS2, and DORA — cyber/physical security, hybrid threats and crisis management. Prior to his current academic role, he gained extensive experience at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), KPMG, and F24 AG, working across operational, advisory, and policy levels in the field of critical infrastructure protection. He serves as an Expert Consultant for the OSCE and as lecturer at the NATO Centre of Excellence — Defence Against Terrorism (COE-DAT). He has significant national and international experience in applied research, regulatory compliance, and capacity building, spanning EU institutions, government bodies, and private sectoroperators. As an author and co-author, his publications include European Critical Infrastructure Protection (Springer, 2014), The External Dimension of the European Union’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Programme: From Neighbouring Frameworks to Transatlantic Cooperation (co-authored with R. Mikac, CRC Press, 2022), and Enabling NATO’s Collective Defense: Critical Infrastructure Security and Resiliency (NATO COE-DAT Handbook 1, US Army War College Press, 2022), as well as numerous peer-reviewed articles and policy contributions.