DISA Highlights AI and Analytics for DoD Cybersecurity
Communications infrastructure touches almost every mission in the Department of Defense (DoD) as the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) works on analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to defend its networks.
“Our ability to operate, secure and defend is more important than anything else that we do,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, DISA director, and commander of the Joint Force Headquarters-DoD Information Network.
Gen. Skinner stressed DISA's role in supporting DoD missions, emphasized strategic alignment against threats and spoke about the importance of partnerships, talent and innovation in maintaining a positional advantage and operational readiness. He spoke at an AFCEA's TechNet Cyber conference in Baltimore on Wednesday. After his keynote he addressed journalists’ questions separately.
Analytics for network security is the new area DISA develops for defense.
“We ought to get the department behind improvement across the enterprise and not just a particular unit,” Gen. Skinner told the audience.
Given the level of refinement China-sponsored attacks have shown, DISA’s director hoped their malware was not present in DoD networks and added that AI is the way to efficiently revise the entire network for potential intrusions.
“How can we leverage AI to sift through all the data that we have from all the sensors that we have across the department and really understand what the risk is for an adversary in your network, or has an adversary laterally moved across your network?” Gen. Skinner told journalists.
The DoD established the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to centralize AI efforts. Gen. Skinner explained his agency is focused on cybersecurity data.
“We're making sure that DISA stays aligned with the CDAO, so there's a constant feedback loop between both of us to make sure that our strategies are aligned and that our operations are aligned,” Gen. Skinner said at the press event.
Current demand on data and AI experts has brought about another area of collaboration between the agencies. DISA adopts practices for the CDAO for “a way to hire faster and make sure that we get the right talent coming into the agency,” he said.
Our ability to operate, secure and defend is more important than anything else that we do.
The general identified China’s persistence and commitment to threaten the United States and its military operations.
He characterized Chinese attacks as aimed at disrupting the DoD’s core functions, especially Volt Typhoon.
“They're going after critical sectors within our infrastructure, that DoD relies on each and every day. They're going after the key technologies that we rely on,” Gen. Skinner told the audience.
In terms of how closely the Asian country follows military technological developments, he spoke about the references to his agency’s publications cited in military documents from the People’s Liberation Army, China’s Communist Party defense arm.
“They're analyzing our strategies and our plans. They are focused on disrupting our critical infrastructure, targeting our critical infrastructure, making that a focus area, and they are studying in detail our national and our DoD strategy,” Gen. Skinner said.
TechNet Cyber is an annual event held in Baltimore, Maryland, organized by AFCEA International. SIGNAL Media is the official media of AFCEA.
