The increasing complexity of global challenges such as climate change, infrastructure resilience, and national security has created a critical need for integrated, data-driven solutions. The International Conference on Data-Driven Insights for National Security (DINS-2026) serves as a multidisciplinary platform that bridges artificial intelligence, sustainable infrastructure, defense systems, and climate resilience. This proceedings volume presents selected, peer-reviewed contributions that explore the application of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to design resilient infrastructure systems, strengthen defense technologies, and address climate-related risks. The book highlights how intelligent systems can support energy-efficient infrastructure, predictive maintenance of critical systems, climate-informed decision-making, and secure digital ecosystems. The volume is structured around key themes, including sustainable and intelligent infrastructure systems, AI-driven defense and security frameworks, climate resilience through data analytics, and governance and policy aspects of emerging technologies. The contributions provide both theoretical insights and real-world applications, demonstrating how interdisciplinary approaches can enhance national preparedness and long-term sustainability. This book will be of interest to researchers, engineers, policymakers, and industry professionals working in sustainable infrastructure, defense systems, climate science, artificial intelligence, and data-driven governance. The proceedings specifically emphasize the convergence of sustainability, infrastructure resilience, and defense systems through data-driven methodologies, aligning with global priorities such as climate adaptation, smart infrastructure, and secure technological ecosystems. The volume aligns with global priorities such as sustainable development goals (SDGs), climate adaptation strategies, and resilient infrastructure planning.

Dr. B Rajanarayan Prusty (Senior Member, IEEE) is a distinguished Professor and Dean of Research and Innovation at Noida International University, Greater Noida. He has nearly two decades of experience in teaching and research, having held esteemed leadership positions. Dr. Prusty obtained his PhD from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal.

Dr. Prusty has been honored with the Star Alumni Award 2026 by NIST University, India. He has been recognized as one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists for 2025 by Stanford University, based on Elsevier’s citation indicators, underscoring his impactful research contributions. Dr. Prusty has also received several prestigious awards, including the POSOCO Power System Awards 2019 by POSOCO in association with IIT Delhi, the University Foundation Day Research Award 2019 from BPUT, Odisha, the Young Professional Research Award from NIT Meghalaya, India, and the Best Associate Editor Award for 2022 and 2023 by the Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology, Springer.

Dr. Prusty’s research focuses on sustainability and climate-responsive energy systems, with expertise in data preprocessing, time series forecasting, and high-dimensional dependence modeling, applying ML and probabilistic methods to enhance power system security.

Dr. Laxman Kumar Behera is Associate Professor at Special Centre for National Security Studies (SCNSS), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India. Before joining JNU in 2020, Dr. Behera worked in MP-IDSA, a New Delhi-based think tank under the Indian Ministry of Defence. Dr. Behera has two decades of experience in defence and security domains.

Dr. Behera has published numerous peer-reviewed research papers, including in journals such as Journal of Strategic Studies, Defense & Security Analysis, Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, India Quarterly, Defence Studies, and Strategic Analysis. Besides, he has numerous monographs, occasional papers, policy/issue briefs, strategic comments and op-ed articles to his credit. Dr. Behera is the author of two single-authored books. The first book, Indian Defence Industry: An Agenda for Making in India, published in 2015, is an autoreactive account on India’s defence manufacturing policy, players and challenges, and remains a key textbook for general readers and policy makers alike. His latest book on India’s Defence Economy: Planning, Budgeting, Industry and Procurement was published by Routledge, London in 2021.

Dr. Behera is currently a member of the Defence Acquisition Review Committee which has been set up by the Indian defence ministry to review India’s capital procurement procedures

Dr. Lau Kok Keong is currently holding the position of Associate Professor at Chemical Engineering Department and Head for Centre of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, UTP. He has joined UTP since 2007. He is a Chartered Marine Engineer (UK) and Professional Engineer in Malaysia.

His expertise covers the research area of carbon capture, membrane separation, absorption modelling, simulation and process scale-up. Dr. Lau has published more than 130 WoS journals.