Communication Is the Key to Effective Cyber Operations
Fighting better in cyberspace is about communicating with people in the real world, according to a panel of Department of Defense (DoD) advisers.
“More workloads are getting assigned to those communities, and we're able to bring in talent with those capabilities and oftentimes incentives, so that's great. But even more, we know, we're all here in this room talking about cyberspace, but we really need to expand our audience,” explained Rebecca DeForest, senior resource analyst, USA.
The cyber advisers panel at TechNet Cyber on Tuesday discussed the evolution of cyberspace operations in national security. Leaders from the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force highlighted the importance of cyber talent, the necessity of secure data and the integration of cyber strategies within military roles. Key initiatives include the development of a cyber workforce, the importance of cross-branch and industry collaboration, and ongoing efforts to adapt to evolving cyber threats.
The Air Force has created cyber warrant officers to better accommodate the talent needed to drive the future of cyber after 65 years without new denominations, according to Lt. Col. Andrew Wonpat, interim deputy principal cyber adviser, USAF.
“Our new class of officers is specifically for cyber,” Col. Wonpat said.
Creating new teams spared them from cultural baggage, as this line starts from scratch for the service.
When searching for these individuals, the Air Force went beyond its hard skill set and sought high-performing team players who would create the right environments for mentoring and high performance, explained Col. Wonpat.
“We used the methods industry uses to find, identify, assess, select and, more importantly, develop their high performance,” Col. Wonpat said.
The panel discussed how industry should engage each service following a question from the audience.
“It just needs to be more educational,” DeForest said.
Cyber advisers on the panel explained they have no power over which vendors to buy from but could advocate for capabilities.
We really need to expand our audience.
DeForest emphasized that open conversation leads to better understanding of which strengths a vendor brings to the table.
“When you are trying to infiltrate into a government market, replacing an entire end-to-end process for the government is probably a non-starter,” said Joshua Reiter, deputy principal cyber adviser, U.S. Navy.
Reiter suggested that identifying a small gap is a convenient first step, whereas it is unlikely a whole solution would be purchased.
Another goal is to engage all stake holders, as the armed forces and even the cyber communities connected with them are extensive, and messages need to reach all players in the field.
“There are a lot of communities that don't know what the other is doing," DeForest said, strongly suggesting sustained engagement.
Brig. Gen. Terrence Adams, deputy principal cyber adviser to the secretary of defense, moderated the panel on Tuesday.
TechNet Cyber is an annual event held in Baltimore, Maryland, organized by AFCEA International. SIGNAL Media is the official media of AFCEA.
