The CIISS is based in the Department of International Politics and was established in 2004 to facilitate and promote the study of intelligence and international security by acting as a nucleus for research in the area. The creation of the centre built upon over a decade of teaching in intelligence studies in the department at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. The current Director of CIISS is Professor Martin Alexander. The Deputy Director is Dr Peter Jackson, who is also UK Editor of the journal Intelligence and National Security.  The Centre hosted an inaugural seminar in July 2004, led by Michael Herman on the role of intelligence during the Iraq war. In November 2004 CIISS held its inaugural annual lecture, with Sir Stephen Lander, former head of the Security Service (MI5), on ‘Public Expectations of Intelligence’. Subsequent annual lectures have been delivered by Professor Keith Jeffery, Sir Michael Quinlan and Sir David Omand. The 2008 lecture was delivered by Lord Butler on ‘Lessons from the Butler Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction’. Other speakers in the department have included: Professor Christopher Andrew, Professor Richard Aldrich, Dr Charles Cogan, Dr Philip Davies, Professor John Ferris, Professor Robert Goldberg, Mr Oleg Gordievsky, Professor Eunan O’Halpin, Professor Loch Johnson, Dr Sheila Kerr, Professor Martin Thomas, Dr CeesWiebes, Professor Wesley Wark and Dr Neville Wylie. CIISS has organised various conferences, symposia and workshops. The following major international conferences have been held at the University of Wales Conference Centre at Gregynog: ‘Journeys in Shadows: Understanding Intelligence in the Twenty-first Century' (2002), ‘Intelligence, Crises and Diplomacy: Lessons from History?’  (2005) and ‘Choices for Western Intelligence: The Security Challenges of the Twenty-first Century’ (2007). These events have brought together academic and professional intelligence experts from across the world. Conference proceedings have been published as special issues of Intelligence and National Security (19/2, 21/5 and 24/1) and as Len Scott and Peter Jackson (eds), Understanding Intelligence in the Twenty-first Century: Journeys in Shadows (Routledge, 2004) and Len Scott and R. Gerald Hughes (eds), Intelligence, Crises and Security: Prospects and Retrospects (Routledge, 2008).  The 2007 conference will soon appear in similar formats (Scott, Hughes, and Alexander).  In October 2008 CIIS organised a workshop on ‘Missing in Action: The Past, Present and future of military Intelligence and Operations’.   A fourth conference was held at University of Wales Conference Centre, Gregynog, 30 April to 2 may 2009 entitled: ‘100 Years of British Intelligence: From Empire to Cold War to Globalisation’