Earlier this year, U.S. Cyber Command and the cyber components of each of the military services initiated an academic engagement network to reach out to students interested in potentially supporting military cyber missions. In the coming months, Cyber Command will invite network members to help solve hard problems in the cyber arena, including technical, policy and strategy challenges.
U.S. Cyber Command
One of the priorities that the U.S. Cyber Command is pursuing this year is defining and advancing the Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture, which is designed to leverage data and cyber intelligence to provide situational awareness and battle management at strategic, operational and tactical cyber mission levels. The construct also includes an array of defensive and offensive cyber capabilities that need to be advanced and will help identify any capability gaps, thereby guiding cyber warfare capability acquisition.
For the last eleven years, the U.S. Cyber Command, which conducts cyber operations in defense of the nation, has partnered closely with government organizations and private industry to advance is mission. Now, the command, known as USCYBERCOM, is working to bolster its activities with academia as part of its comprehensive engagement plan. It recently launched a new academic engagement strategy that will broaden its communications with more U.S. universities; harness cyber research; promote cyber careers; and add analytical capabilities.
Rear Adm. Heidi K. Berg, USN, will be assigned as director, plans and policy, J-5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
The U.S. Cyber Command, at the invitation of foreign governments, sends teams of cyber warriors overseas to aid in the search for, analysis of and protection against adversaries conducting cyber warfare.
While U.S. forces frequently deploy overseas, this is a different kind of military support. Instead of taking tanks, helicopters and ships, the U.S. military sends its cyber warriors, armed with their adroit offensive and defensive skills and digital tools.
The U.S. Air Force’s 67th Cyberspace Wing has been busy. The wing operationally acts as the execution arm of Air Forces Cyber, performing comprehensive cyber operations on a service and nation level. The wing has successfully proven its ability to operationalize on top of its duties to organize, train and equip, reported Col. Jeffrey Phillips, USAF, wing commander. The wing took action against Russia’s information warfare campaign over the last year, responded to the SolarWinds compromise and helped ensure the digital security of the 2020 election, Col. Phillips said during a May 18 presentation to the AFCEA Alamo Chapter.
The federal government has been taking zero trust more seriously. Although a significant part of it has yet to be implemented, some initial work has been completed with zero trust network access, yet the outside-in approach to zero trust and complexity remains. But the more important aspect of zero trust relates to application and workload connections, which is what attackers care about and is not being protected today.
This “other side” of zero trust and a host-based micro-segmentation approach will lead to greater security and will stop the lateral movement of malware. Constituting multiple pilot projects is the best way forward in the inside-out approach to zero trust.
The last year presented “unique challenges” to the military combatant command in charge of defending U.S. related interests in cyberspace. The three-year old U.S. Cyber Command, which plans and executes global cyberspace operations, activities and missions in regard to defending and advancing national interests, has spent the last year defending and mitigating against the continuing cyber threats from China, Russia, Iran and nonstate actors and criminals, reported Gen. Paul Nakasone, USA, commander, U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM); director, National Security Agency (NSA); and chief, Central Security Service (CSS); in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
Second of a two-part report.
The Cyber Solarium Commission, a congressionally chartered panel of expert policymakers, was created to tackle cyber conflict in the same way its Truman-era predecessor addressed the Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. An article in SIGNAL Magazine’s August issue (“Leaders Seek a Grand Strategy for Cybersecurity") explored the commission’s theory of deterrence by denial and how it embraced the concept of resilience.
Maj. Gen. David T. Isaacson, USA, has been assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Brig. Gen. William Hartman, USA, has been assigned as commander at the Cyber National Mission Force, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Today’s military operates in a congested and contested cyber environment, and to have the advantage over its adversaries, the military must be able to integrate a variety of cyber-connected elements. Keeping the advantage depends on the ability to balance the level of precision required, to operate with speed, to accept nonconventional means and to tolerate less-than-perfect solutions. In an environment just short of war, there is no place for bureaucracy.
Brig. Gen. John C. Ulrich, USA, has been assigned as director, Capability and Resource Integration, J-8, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Personnel working in cyber must continually look for opportunities to learn, say cyber professionals from across government.
During a morning panel discussion on the final day of the AFCEA TechNet Cyber conference in Baltimore, high-ranking officials from the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency discussed a wide range of issues concerning the cyber workforce today and tomorrow.
Col. Douglas S. Coppinger, USAF, has been selected to the grade of brigadier general and assigned as director of intelligence, J-2, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
Brig. Gen. Timothy D. Haugh, USAF, has been assigned as commander, Cyber National Mission Force, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
Maj. Gen. Robert J. Skinner, USAF, has been assigned as commander, 24th Air Force, Air Force Space Command and Commander, Air Forces Cyber, United States Cyber Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
Rear Adm. William W. Wheeler III, USN, will be assigned as director, plans and policy, J-5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, USA, commander of U.S. Army Cyber Command, suggests the command could get a new name and says he would recommend the same for the U.S. Cyber Command.When the Army command was first established in 2010, Cyber Command was the appropriate name, but that is not longer the case, he asserted. “I think we’re well past that now. We’re at the point where, in the future, it’s going to change to something like this: Army Information Warfare Operations Command or Army Information Warfare Dominance Command.”
Capt. Craig A. Clapperton, USN, has been selected for promotion to rear admiral amd will be assigned as deputy director, future operations, J-3F, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Rear Adm. Ross A. Myers, USN, will be assigned as director, plans and policy, J-5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Brig. Gen. Jennifer G. Buckner, USA, has been assigned as deputy commander, Joint Task Force-ARES, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Lt. Gen. Vincent R. Stewart, USMC, has been nominated for assignment as deputy commander, U.S. Cyber Command.
After months of uncertainty, President Donald Trump announced today that he has elevated the U.S. Cyber Command to a unified combatant command. In addition, Cyber Command ultimately may be separated from the National Security Agency (NSA).
“This new unified combatant command will strengthen our cyberspace operations and create more opportunities to improve our nation’s defense,” Trump said. “The elevation of United States Cyber Command demonstrates our increased resolve against cyberspace threats and will help reassure our allies and partners and deter our adversaries.”
Brig. Gen. Karl H. Gingrich, USA, has been assigned as director, capability and resource integration, J-8, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Fogarty, USA, has been assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Col. Timothy D. Haugh, USAF, has been selected for the grade of brigadier general and assigned as deputy commander, Joint Task Force ARES, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
Maj. Gen. George J. Franz III, USA, has been assigned as director of operations, J-3, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Rear Adm. Kevin J. Kovacich, USN, will be assigned as director, plans and policy, J-5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Efforts to counter adversaries in cyberspace jointly continue apace in the U.S. military, but the changing nature of enemy activities may require new approaches by the services. Baseline cyber activities may need to be increased, while some actions will need to remain the purview of individual services.
A panel of cyber officials discussed the ramifications of such changes on the final day of the AFCEA Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium (DCOS) 2016, held April 20-22 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Col. Maria B. Barrett, USA, has been assigned as deputy commander, operations, Cyber National Mission Force, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Capt. Danelle M. Barrett, USN, has been selected for the rank of rear admiral and will be assigned as deputy director, operations, J-3, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Brig. Gen. Kenneth D. Hubbard, USA, has been assigned as director, capability and resource integration, J-8, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Brendler, USA, has been assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Sgt. Maj. David C. Redmond, USA, has been assigned as the command senior enlisted leader for United States Cyber Command and senior enlisted adviser for the National Security Agency/Central Security Service, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
Maj. Gen. James K. McLaughlin, USAF, has been appointed to the rank of lieutenant general and assigned as deputy commander, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Brig. Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, USA, has been assigned as commander, Cyber National Mission Force, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
Rear Adm. Michael M. Gilday, USN, will be assigned as director, operations, J-3, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers, USN, has been nominated as commander of U.S. Cyber Command, director of the National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Maj. Gen. Gregg C. Potter, USA, has been assigned as director of plans and policy, J-5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
The task of protecting U.S. military cyber assets is increasing in complexity as new capabilities come to dominate communications and networking. Planners must implement security measures that do not hinder the new technologies introduced to the force.
That challenge was in a cyber fireside chat that opened the final day of AFCEA/USNI West 2013 in San Diego. Robert J. Carey, deputy chief information officer for the U.S. Defense Department, noted that one key tasking is to protect the mobile devices that now are proliferating in the force.
The U.S. Cyber Command force is likely to increase to 14,000 people over the next few years as the command trains experts and disperses them where they will be needed, according to its deputy commander. Lt. Gen. Jon M. Davis, USMC, told the audience at a morning fireside chat beginning the last day of AFCEA/USNI West 2013 that the command already has an assigned force of 6,000 as it ramps up to carry out its dynamic mission.
Most of these Cyber Command personnel are being trained to serve in the field—in this case, various military settings. The command is building teams for combatant commanders who will have operational control over these cyber experts.
Maj. Gen. Jennifer L. Napper, USA, has been assigned director of Plans and Policy/J-5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Col. Ronald L. Huntley, USAF, has been selected for the rank of brigadier general and assignment as deputy director, plans and policy, Headquarters U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Maj. Gen. Brett T. Williams, USAF, has been assigned director, operations, J-3, Headquarters U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Brig. Gen. George J. Franz III, USA, has been assigned director, current operations, J-33, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Brig. Gen. Linda R. Medler, USAF, has been assigned director of command, control, communications and computer systems (J-6), U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Rear Adm. Sean R. Filipowski, USN, has been assigned deputy director of operations, J-3, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Rear Adm. Samuel J. Cox, USN, has been assigned director of intelligence, J-2, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.
The Defense Department's FY 2012 budget proposal features $2.3 billion for improved cyber capabilities, according to figures released this afternoon. Key elements of that funding include $0.5 billion for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to invest in cyber technologies. Funding also will be provided to the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) for cyber identity, monitoring and enforcement.
The budget will increase funding for training cyber analysts, for improving Global Information Grid (GIG)-wide situational awareness, for developing pilot programs for supply chain risk management and for improving intrusion detection and analysis.