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Cyber Success Defined by Adversaries, Acquisition Obstacles

Much remains to be done in defense networks, but obtaining the technology still is difficult.

The military cyberspace environment of the future will build on the existing realm, but aspects such as adversarial activities and acquisition processes ultimately will be among its greatest influences. And both presently are outside the reach of planners and implementers.

A panel on building that environment dominated the afternoon session at TechNet Asia-Pacific 2015, being held in Honolulu, November 17-19. The conference theme of Fight to Communicate: Operating in a Communications-Degraded Environment, brought the cyber realm front and center in this broad-ranging discussion.

Maj. Gen. Dave Bryan, USA (Ret.), president and CEO, Bryan Business Management and Technology LLC, declared bluntly, “We’re at war in cyberspace, and this has been a hard lesson to learn.” Noting the whole world is hooked on networks, he urged mangers to pay attention to network needs. Most investments have been in boundary and perimeter defenses, he said, adding, “If you’re going to buy them, then keep them up to date.”

Gen. Bryan added that the threat lies not to network access or the network itself, but to the data. “It’s the database, stupid,” he said, adopting the political campaign analogy. “Look for the technologies coming out that protect the database.”

Adm. Archie Clemins, USN (Ret.), former commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said the country is not framing the cyber war properly. It is not just a military problem, but also a national problem. He decried the focus on technology solutions, saying they always will be out of date and take years to implement. Instead, he said, “We have to create a cyber work force that is better than our adversaries.”

Adm. Dick Macke, USN (Ret.), former commander, U.S. Pacific Command, offered deductive reasoning to set a high priority for cyberspace. “Cyber equals C2 [command and control], C2 equals victory. Therefore, victory needs cyber,” he stated. Adm. Macke called for the ability to beat the enemy at its own game. “We’re going to be attacked, and we are going to lose some part of our C2,” he warned. “I’m a warfighter, and I want rules of engagement that allow me to attack [cyber] before I have to defend.”

John Grimes, former assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration, outlined some of the problems cyber faces in acquisition. Putting into context the current push for cyber acquisition reform, Grimes noted that 40 efforts for acquisition reform have gone on in 40 years, but nothing gets done. The only way things get done is by brute force, he charged.