March Chapter Luncheon Examines the Center of Excellence

In March, Pedro Ramirez, senior technical advisor, Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) Enterprise Center, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, spent time with the chapter, sharing his thoughts on the Center of Excellence. Ramirez talked about a unique opportunity in 2018, working for the Jacobs Corporation, where he served as the director for Global Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Cyber Security. He had the opportunity to manage teams across the globe and deal with the challenges of location and language differences. He learned early if you're not first, you're last. While abroad, he commented on the difficulties of physical security and dignitaries. They do things so differently because their priorities are different. He discussed the NC3 Enterprise Center's initiative to create the REACH facility as a way to establish a "Center of Excellence." The facility will integrate various areas of expertise under one roof. Ramirez pointed out the ability to perform technical transfer will be facilitated by the Center of Excellence. We need to be more agile and better equipped to control access to our networks out to the edge by using quantum computing and large algorithms. He discussed the desire to stand up a small cybersecurity lab with the ability to perform wargaming, simulations and personnel training. Ramirez touched on how U.S. Strategic Command has put together a unique cyber toolkit with a one-of-a-kind capability. We can more seamlessly integrate with the warfighter than ever before. We can move into the cyber realm with much greater fidelity. Ramirez said he's met with UNO to talk about apprenticeships in cyber. He wants to bring in students to work on gray space analytics focused on the NIPRNET. Ramirez concluded by pointing out he wants to engage in activities that lead to a more effective Center of Excellence from the edge to the core.

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