DoD, agencies focus on cyber security

Many senior leaders within the Department of Defense (DoD) spoke on the important role interagency cooperation plays in cyber security at the recent Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International Cyber Symposium in June.

Army Maj. Gen. John A. Davis, senior military advisor for cyber to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy said that those in leadership positions “in the department and beyond the department understand that cyber is a problem […] They’ve made cyber a priority, and there is a sense of urgency.” Davis also spoke on DoD’s progress since the cyberspace strategy was released two years ago. In the past two years the department has made progress in several areas, including establishing an interim command-and-control framework for cyberspace operations across joint service and defense agency organizations.

Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, director of the National Security Agency (NSA), stated he believed cyber security involves “all the key elements of the executive branch — that’s DHS, FBI, DoD, Cyber Command, NSA, and other partners — with our allies and with industry.” According to Alexander, who also commands U.S. Cyber Command, all agencies involved need to work together to create one joint integrated cyber force.

Army Maj. Gen. Jennifer L. Napper, Cyber Command’s director of plans and policy, discussed policies that inhibit interoperability in the cyber domain with coalition partners and other agencies, saying that such policies should be re-examined. Napper stressed the growing need for interagency cooperation in cyber security, saying that “This, more than any other area, must be a team sport.”

For more information about DoD’s role in cyber security, please follow the links below.
DoD at Work on New Cyber Strategy, Senior Military Advisor Says, American Forces Press Service
Nation Must Defend Cyber Infrastructure, Alexander Says, American Forces Press Service
Old Policies Inhibit Cyber Interoperability, Official Says, American Forces Press Service