What does a retired NATO general teach students at Innopolis University

At Innopolis University, students are taught by professors and researchers with experience in leading IT companies and universities in the world. The university also invites very unusual IT specialists to guest lectures. We already wrote about how our hacker Ares, familiar with Edward Snowden, shared his experience with students. This time we will talk about Professor Angelo Messina, who works as a practical professor at the Institute of Information Systems and heads the master's program "Management of Software Development" in our university. In an interview, he shares memories of the service as part of NATO military groups, explains why he decided to move to Innopolis to train Russian students and how in Europe the army interacts with science.

- Angelo, who have you worked for the last 10 years?
- Until April 2008, I was a colonel, deputy director for research and technology at the European Defense Agency (Brussels, Belgium). Until 2012 - Director of the Department in the Secretariat for Defensive Armament (Rome, Italy). Until 2013 - Brigadier General, Director of the Logistics Department in the Security Division (Rome). Until February 2016 - Deputy Head of the Logistics Department of the General Staff of the Army (Rome). From 2012 to January 2017 - Brigadier General of the Italian Army.
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- How did your army service begin, did you graduate from military school?
- I studied at one of the best universities in Italy - at the Turin Polytechnic University, where I received a degree in engineering. In the same place, I defended my PhD and underwent professional military training courses for general and joint staff.

After completing the second course, I had the opportunity to join the army. From the third academic year, students of this university participate in special competitions, and, in case of successful completion of the selection, as was the case with me, they continue to study in the status of a military man. Students who have completed the second year of study at any university in Italy in the field of engineering and physics can apply for participation in this competition.

From the third course during the year, the student studies only military disciplines. Then you can return to the university and complete your studies in the chosen specialty. This is given only 3 years. And with this strictly. If a student fails the exam or passes the deadline, this entails disciplinary action. This is the difference between an ordinary student and a student in a “military uniform” - the latter must strictly observe the established training schedule. For example, if I declare that in three years I will receive a specialization, I must do it. This does not mean that the training ends here - only the 5-year study period ends.

My army career began with the rank of lieutenant, then I became lieutenant-captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel and rose to the rank of general.

- What exactly did you do in the army?
- While serving as a technical service officer, I was engaged in engineering work without managerial responsibilities. This service was not very different from the civil work of my colleagues from the university. I also carried out management tasks, and the majority of my subordinates were civilians.

The exception was my high-tech teaching practice. The course that I read was related to security and was not intended for civil service officers.
The name of the course I can not disclose, because this information belongs to the Italian army. I do not have the right to disclose the names of courses related to the military sphere, but I can tell you what courses I read at the military academy. I taught Computer Science (Computer Science), in particular, a joint course from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Communications and Telecommunications of Italy on personal computers (Personal Computers) for 7 years. Also in the late 90s, I taught for 2 years at the Military University in Rome and taught 2 courses: “Introduction to Computer Science” (Introduction to Computer Science) and “General Electrical Engineering” (General Electronics).

- How did you interact with NATO and what did you do in the USA?
- I collaborated with the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) as an independent consultant for the development of flexible software (agile software), but this agency is not in the United States.
I was a member of many working groups and teams of military experts related to NATO and the EU. In the US, I worked for the Nomisma agency, which no longer exists, and also collaborated with the NATO Communications and Information Agency. In Italy, I was a member of many working groups led by NATO. One of them is the NSIT group. I held different positions: chairman, national representative, secretary of the working group, etc.

From 2005 to 2008, I worked for the European Defense Agency (EDA) as Deputy Director for Research and Technology. I was lucky to be among the employees of the first group and to work on almost all European research programs as part of the FP7 framework program. My task was to provide research results, ensure collaboration between groups and promote research in the field of science and technology.

As part of the projects, I was a manager - I was involved in organizing activities, I was in control of what stage the project work was going on, and I checked that the project’s tasks were being observed. I made connections with colleagues around the world.

There were many interesting trips. In 2004, I flew to San Francisco as a member of the NATO data exchange working group. Nothing secret, the project was related to libraries and information storage, so I can talk about it. While in San Francisco, I was simultaneously preparing for another meeting in Sweden, and then flew to Rome. It was an interesting experience: 4 days and many flights - Rome, San Francisco, Sweden, and again Rome. In this mode, I lived for 2 years.

Therefore, Russia fits well into my “network of contacts”, which already included Greece, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden. Working in an international environment has taught me a lot - organization, management and experience of international interaction.

- What project could you name the most important in your career?
- I worked on many research projects, but I was not so much a researcher, but one of the leaders. We recently developed the LC2EVO complex for a ground command and control center that is used in the Italian army. The results of these studies have been published many times in journals and conferences. Using flexible development technologies, we created software for a ground command and control center and achieved impressive results: we completed the project, spending a tenth of the budget, and customers were satisfied with the quality of the product. It was a real breakthrough.

- How does the Italian army interact with scientists?
- I myself did not conduct research, but was engaged in their support and development. During the research cooperation between Italy and the United States, I was the head of the delegation, consisting mainly of university scholars. As it was then: 70 scientists and teachers from different universities in Italy were engaged in basic research, for example, in the field of photonics. The delegation met with our colleagues from Washington and we shared the results. I myself have not done research for more than 20 years - I have not the same age. Scientific research - the lot of young scientists 25-30 years, at least in the world of computer engineering.

There is always cooperation between the Italian army and the scientific community. I still have a lot of friends from the scientific and academic environment.

- What interesting things happened to you in the field of international cooperation?
- Once I gave an interview for a European newspaper, in which I said that France (at that time, not now) was an obstacle for the EU - its policy was too focused on the interests of the country.

During the meetings, the leaders of countries declared their desire to cooperate and their readiness to allocate funds for this. It seems to be all right - the leaders shake hands and disperse. But after that you need to somehow implement this cooperation. But no one wanted to disclose information about research - I mean research data that may be of value to the industry.

My task was to facilitate the exchange of basic research data in order to start a collaboration. Working at the international level, it is not enough just to declare a desire to cooperate. The main problem is to realize this cooperation. And I focused on the exchange of data that is already available - talking about joint projects, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which is now widely distributed and used on different devices, starting with phones and tablets.



- Tell us what you do at Innopolis University?
- I read a course on innovative software development methodology. It is by choice and accessible to all, but graduate students come to it more often. At the heart of the course is a program of professional training for engineers in Italy If you want to study specific types of agile software development for mission critical applications, this course is for you.

If you want to create a safe product, check the quality and stages of development, without using a cascading method of development, then use a specific type of agile development. This is exactly what I did with my colleagues at the Italian Ministry of Defense, developing the software package LC2EVO.

- Why did you decide to engage in quiet pedagogical practice?
- I have always been attracted to work in universities because of unusual people in an academic environment. Students are a valuable resource, work with them is a reward. For me, this is not a job, but a pleasure. Teaching, I understand that I am doing something important for specific people, and not for a faceless system. I perceive it this way because I am a father and I understand how important it is to pass on knowledge to the younger generation. This led me to a Russian university.

In February of last year, when I resigned and did not plan to work full time again, I worked enough. But I was offered to come to the new Russian city of Innopolis and give a short course of lectures on my main specialization - software engineering and flexible software development, and later there was the prospect of becoming a member of the faculty. I find this an interesting experience.

The students here are very smart. And I know what I'm talking about, since I saw different students in Europe and the USA. In Russia, they are purposeful, always ready to overcome difficulties. I still have two years ahead, during which I can pass on my knowledge to them, to motivate and convince once and for all to switch to flexible development methods.

- What are the differences in software development for military and civilian purposes?
- Long story, I dedicated a separate lecture to this. In short, the standards for the development of military software are developed by the Ministry of Defense. Two important factors are important here: security and software protection. It is necessary for the developer to do everything possible from the point of view of software engineering to ensure the safety of the product. For this purpose, special regulatory documents are used that cannot be forcibly introduced into software development. In addition, there are many other nuances.

But since the late 60s and early 70s, engineering thought has become more rational. The engineers reasoned like this: let's write down all the development stages and follow the procedure. This is how the cascade development method appeared, which has become generally accepted until today. The defense industry promoted this procedure and exported software engineering to the aviation, aerospace and industrial fields. In critical conditions, the industry simply accepted the necessary standard developed by the Ministry of Defense.

In the early 90s, a new generation of devices suddenly appeared. The software development procedure has changed: factory development has faded into the background - now everything could be done on one computer.

Using the Eclipse platform or the Microsoft Development Tools, you could develop your own software, and I'm not talking about some complicated programs. Appeared personal "factories" for software development. Of course, this was the beginning of the creation of technical standards, the software development boom began in the world.

There were no clear requirements for software security, and the development followed the easy way without taking into account any norms. There was a huge market - applications for Android, iOS, standard software. It brings a lot of money, and also stimulates and accelerates the process of data delivery. Delivery times for some applications, for example, Android, are every few hours, for others, a couple of days or weeks. Of course, this is completely incompatible with the cascade method.

This is comparable to the "bright" side, where everyone has already abandoned the cascade method, develop and sell a lot of software. In comparison with the “dark islands”, which still cling to the cascade method due to legal aspects.

- Is there a difference between the leadership of the military and work with students? Have you ever commanded the Russian youth?
- I worked with engineers who have already received a specialization or studied in the last year of university. So my experience is limited - I previously taught students 4-5 courses. And in Russia I work with freshmen and for me this is a new experience.

As for the leadership of the military, here are their peculiarities - everything strictly depends on their rank: the captain leads the junior officers, the majors are subordinate to the colonel. These are completely different things - to give a course to the military, who are already about 40-50 years old, and to young students - in each case, their approach.

Engineers have experience. These are people who need to study for career growth, so my main task is to arouse their interest. At the same time make them interested in something is impossible. With students everything is different: they are young and they are interested in the subject that I teach. There is only one thing: it is important to choose the right material - not to give them what they cannot master yet. Sometimes it is necessary to simplify the material so as not to leave "in high matter." Students are enthusiastic and bravely go to the exam, while specialist engineers at lectures often just wait for the lesson to end.

I never command students. I just politely ask you to complete the tasks. Russian students are more disciplined compared to Italian students. Of course, I mean students of Innopolis University, since I have no teaching experience in other Russian universities. Italian students pay tuition, so they may not do the teacher’s assignment if they don’t like it. Here it is different: students study under grants and listen to the teacher, diligently carry out tasks, regardless of desires.

Of course, you can punish students with bad grades, but it depends on the case. Some students are very motivated, and they do not need to be asked for anything - they do, study, study themselves. There are students who try, but do not always understand what they are doing. In Italy, if students are given a general task and asked to work in groups, some students will leave the lecture. At Innopolis University, students enjoy working in groups. They are quite independent, so sometimes I even leave someone “for the elder”. Almost like in the army! (Laughs)

- Was it difficult to move to Russia?
- I knew a little about your country. My knowledge in the history of Russia ended with the period of the Second World War - what I read in the books. I learned something from the media or at school lessons many years ago. Well, we know that the media has been under control for a long time.

After arriving, my wife and I discovered in Russia features similar to our culture. And, surprisingly, it is winter. At home, I live in that part of the country where it is always cold. This is the central part of Italy, closer to the mountains. There is a lot of snow there, but it's cold for us when it's -5 or -7 outside. And here -27! But this is not so bad. Here is another cold - it is dry, so -27 here is not the same as -27 in the Italian mountains.

- What cultural differences have you noted?
- I assumed to see a certain unstructured society, far from European. But now I understand that there are no particular differences between modern Russian and European cultures.

My wife and I noticed that Russian is much closer to Italian than English. And the attitude of Russians and Tatars to life is similar to Italian: we enjoy life, delicious food. Here love modern cars, and we love the same brand. Russians love and know how to make good wine, just like us.

I give simple examples, but this is exactly what surprised me and my spouse. In Russia, there are the same stores as in Italy, many American and European products. I don’t know if this is good or not, but this is a sign of globalization - everything is the same and familiar everywhere. I once bought a good coffee, and they asked me: "Is this real Italian coffee?" I replied: "Yes, this is Italian coffee, which I bought in Russia."

I lived in Brussels, in the USA, in other countries, and I liked it everywhere, but living in the USA, I noticed many differences with my country.Several months have passed in Russia, and I feel at home here. Innopolis is beautiful, Kazan is gorgeous. My real impression of the capital of Tatarstan was very different from expectations.

- How did your family respond to moving to cold Russia?
- My decision in the family was approved. I did not convince my wife to move to Russia. Tatyana Stanko, vice rector of Innopolis University, did this for me. After my visit, she said: “Next time come with my wife.” When we arrived, Tatiana invited us to dinner and showed the city.

True, my wife's first comment after the news of the move was this: “It's great, but it's cold in the same place!” And then the question was: “What's so interesting in Russia?” For some reason, many people think that Russia is a strange place where everyone drinks vodka and sings songs. And when I show photos, I see that people are very surprised.

- When you received a proposal to work in Russia, wasn’t there a conflict of interests, considering the relations between Russia and NATO?
- I am still a NATO consultant. Before coming to Russia, I signed an agreement with them. They can call me on issues related to the methodology of agile software development, and I have to respond to them. I told the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) that I was moving to Russia, to Tatarstan, to work at Innopolis University. There were no objections from them.

In fact, associating my name with a list of military projects in which I participated is not a good idea. My employer avoided public exposure due to the personal safety issues of the experts and their families involved in the projects. An exception can be made only with respect to programs and projects, information about which was published or presented at open conferences.

Now I work at a university and I want to use in teaching all aspects of my professional experience in this field. The details of my former work and projects are a story that should remain in the past.

I can not disclose information about secret technologies. As for my work related to the methodology of agile development - this is not a problem, the information has long been published. When I agreed to this interview, I asked NATO if this could be a problem. I was told that everything is in order.

I think that many Russians rest and work in the United States, and some of my colleagues at the university have a double degree from the American University of Carnegie Mellon. This is a cultural and academic exchange. What is the problem here? And the secret information remains secret.
When I shared with a former colleague from the General Staff about why I was leaving to work at Innopolis University, he replied that my decision was respectful, because this is another way to tell about the profession of a military engineer. My colleague was glad that in Russia they value this profession.

- What are your gadgets?
“I still use Intel-based devices.” I have a Surface Pro Tablet with a Windows 10 operating system. Sometimes I think of switching to Apple, but I haven’t decided yet: I’m old-fashioned, so to speak, from the Windows generation, I often work with the products of this system - it’s convenient and I’m used to it.

- What about messengers?
- Now I use Whatsapp. The messenger is distributed in Italy and in Europe. With his help, I communicate with my family: my daughter lives in Brussels, and my son lives in northern Italy. Six months ago, I started an account in the Telegram - you can say, all the "trump cards" in their hands! All colleagues at Innopolis University use this messenger.

- How safe is it to use them?
- It is not safe to transfer any secret data via messengers: you can encrypt any information, but if someone intends to hack your system, he will achieve it. The technology that will help to do this can be found even on the Internet. Only the question of knowledge, technical means and time remains. For those who earn their living, all possibilities are open.

But what is the purpose of a hacker who violates the privacy of online communication? The benefits of espionage in the social network tends to zero. I have hundreds of email addresses, and if someone hacks into my mailbox, they will not find any important information there, apart from personal correspondence in the style: “Hello, how are you? I bought a new motorcycle! ”.

Valuable information is difficult to find, and intelligence is a separate topic. You can track where a person is without hacking: if you have a phone, you can be tracked. Therefore, it is not necessary to crack the account of the messenger.

Of course, you can find spyware on the network, install it on the device of the one you are watching, and all messages from its instant messengers will be duplicated to your phone. By the way, it is not necessary to install malware on the phone. You can simply send a viral e-mail. In Italy, this is prohibited by law. I believe that in Russia too. Violation of privacy rights is a criminal offense.

To protect against cyber attacks, I use passwords, additional accounts and other data. The basic rule that I adhere to is not to save used passwords. Although I’m a former military man, I’ll say that there are no more secrets in the global world. There used to be a lot of secrets, which in fact were not. The information was considered secret because it was long and carefully developed and therefore was classified as “top secret”. But when such a secret was revealed, there was nothing special inside. For example, previously information about the trajectories of a 155 mm artillery shell was considered secret. Now this data can be found on the Internet. In our world it is more difficult to hide what is really secret. The most secret information today is banking data.

- Should technology be limited?
- Technology itself is neutral. The knife is also a neutral item. It all depends on how you use it: chop meat or kill a person.

I am sure that technology cannot be stopped and it is useless to fight them. The question in human nature is whether it will change. During my humble life, I did not notice any changes. The development of military technology has not made society "bad." However, culture began to grow shallow from generation to generation. When I was in school, we wrote essays ourselves, organized discussions and exchanged opinions. Now the graduates of the school where I studied are illiterately writing, they know little geography, history, but they are well-versed in modern technologies. Of course, the ability to find any necessary information on the Internet is just a dream. But the younger generation is unwisely using these great opportunities.

- Can the development of information technology grow into a global threat to humanity?
- Cyber ​​threats exist on two levels: on the state and on cyberspace. I remember cyber attacks on Estonia in 2008, because of which the work of all services in the country was disrupted. Some states are waging such a war, we all know that.

If the level of cyber attacks grows, we will be in a situation of cold war. There are less critical cyber attacks — to influence the election results or post a message online — but there are others: an attack on a nuclear power plant is another level of threat. But such threats do not concern ordinary users.

What does an ordinary person face? This is the loss of confidential data. The easiest way to attack is to attach a virus to a letter. You will not even notice how the process of collecting information and compiling your profile will begin. This information is needed to send advertising, taking into account your interests. Remember how many messages about different products you receive via SMS or mail. This trend will increase. Advertisers will begin by any means to figure out how to get to you, to find out what you are fond of, what you drink, what you eat.

Data tracking is one of the biggest threats today. Technology gets out of control. Technique began to dominate people and keep us under control. If a computer or even a phone has failed, it is a disaster: you do not remember the phone numbers of your loved ones and you cannot tell them that your smartphone has broken. If you are offline for about 45 minutes, the first thing that others think is that you forgot your phone at home.

The Internet is a dangerous place, especially for children and the younger generation. Are there technologies that can protect us? Difficult to say, because IT security is a mixture of different strategies. Different security devices or access restrictions are not ideal. After product development, it is safe only at the very beginning - the first couple of months, then it is subject to attacks.

Simple rule: if you do not want to become a victim of an attack, do not lay out personal data on the network. For example, in our family there is a rule: do not upload photos of children to social networks. This is a strict ban. If we want to exchange photos - send a personal message via the messenger: WhatsApp or Telegram. So, security tools and technologies do not provide 100% protection. To protect themselves, everyone, in addition to technology, creates its own rules.