By Geoff Fein
While the Department of Defense is in the early stages of setting up its cyber command, one thing is certain, protecting the nation’s network is vital for the military, defense industry and the public, according to the former head of the CIA.
Huge volumes of proprietary data are being lost, James Woolsey told attendees yesterday at the annual Navy League Sea, Air and Space symposium in National Harbor, Md.
Companies have lost data on new weapons systems, he added.
While in the Cold War the United States had a recognized adversary and attribution for an attack was possible, the same isn’t true in the cyber world, Woolsey noted.
“In cyber, the lack of ability to attribute [an attack] is the first and largest problem,” he said. “Espionage is safer and easier on the web.”
In fact, Woolsey noted that a lot of espionage has migrated to the Internet.
Even more alarming to Woolsey is the lack of protection for the nation’s critical infrastructure.
Recently, the Defense Science Board found that every military base is on the power grid, he noted. That would leave the military’s facilities vulnerable to suffer the vulnerabilities of the electric grid, Woolsey added.
“We have a serious problem. The power grid is not being effectively protected,” he said.
The 50 public utility commissions across the country, which have the responsibility for the power grid, are not working to protect the grid, Woolsey added.
For its part, the Coast Guard is looking to stand up a cyber command to protect the service’s networks, Rear Adm. David Glenn, J6 Consolidated Joint Functional Component Command-Network Warfare/Joint Task Force Global Network Operations, said.
The initial operational capability (IOC) date for the new command was May 10, but that date has slipped, Glenn noted.
The Coast Guard is hoping to have a decision on a new IOC date in June, he added.
Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, commander Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet, told attendees the Navy needs to strengthen its cyber warfare operations.
“I am acutely concerned with [our] ability to do command and control in our cyber networks,” he said.
The Navy is in fact conducting exercises to make sure it gets the command and control portion straight, he added.
McCullough said there are a number of concerns and questions that need to be answered, for example, how do the services defend the battlespace?
“Who owns the battespace,” he added.
There are even issues in trying to find a cyber workforce, McCullough noted. The Navy is not only in competition with the other services for so-called cyber warriors, but the military is competing with other federal agencies as well as industry for a limited pool of workers.
The Air Force is set to make its 24th Air Force fully mission capable in October, Brig. Gen. Charles Shugg, vice commander, 24th Air Force, told attendees.
The Army will also be standing up its cyber command at Fort Belvoir, Va., Maj. Gen. Steven Smith, chief cyber officer, office of the Army Chief of Information, said.
The Army Force Cyber Command will be situated within the Intelligence and Security Command, he added.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey is placing a three-star general in charge of the command, Smith noted.
“We are looking at how we change the culture in the Army,” Smith said.
That includes looking at how cyber warriors will be trained, he added.
One area the Army is currently changing is the soldiers would be given a single contact e-mail and number as they move around the world. In the past, a soldier could be given multiple e-mail addresses and phone numbers, Smith said.
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, Army CIO G6, is currently in Germany testing that concept, Smith added.