As the military begins to outline operational concepts while the threat of cyber conflict continues to grow, the new Cyber Command chief said defensible networks, command and control (C2), common situational awareness and a trained force are top priorities.
“Part of our challenge is that we’re building a plane and at the same time we’re flying it,” Adm. Michael Rogers, Commander U.S. Cyber Command, said at the AFCEA Cybersecurity Summit in Washington Wednesday.
Rogers outlined five areas that he will emphasize as CYBERCOM’s leader–a position he assumed in April. First, the command will make its networks more defensible, allowing them to operate under attack and reduce the impacts of attacks. Initiatives under this first area include reducing the number of networks, paying special attention to network with public interfaces and implementing common IT architecture under the Pentagon’s vision of the Joint Information Environment (JIE). Rogers said a global network backbone supported by CYBERCOM will allow the services to focus on mission instead of maintenance.
“We’re trying to create a network in which defensibility, redundancy and resiliency are core design,” he said.
Second, Rogers will work on operationalizing cyber C2 concepts, including establishing a chain of command. Unlike others in his field, Rogers believes most concepts from traditional kinetic war will apply in the cyber realm.
“Don’t fixate on cyber as something unique that no one understands,” he said.
Third, Rogers wants to create a common situational awareness in cyberspace among the services. This will help soldiers, sailors and airmen understand how to defend an adversary they cannot necessarily see and communicate with common terms and tools.
“In an era of declining resources, we cannot afford to have everyone running out saying, ‘I’ve got the perfect tool,’” he said.
Rogers said CYBERCOM, which draws personnel from all the services, was not as far along in this regard as he hoped.
“It has proven a lot harder than I think a lot of us thought it would be,” he said.
Fourth, Rogers plans to better define responsibilities and authorities in cyberspace. He said the command will build on the relationships the Defense Department already has with civilian partners, particularly at the Department of Homeland Security.
“We provide department capability to civilian counterparts in a host of mission sets. I don’t think cyber is going to be any different,” he said.
Finally, CYBERCOM must continue preparing a ready force. Rogers said the command will have 6,000 trained cyber personnel by the end of 2016.
“I don’t care what service you are, I don’t care what uniform you wear…there has got to be an underlying common framework to this workforce,” he said.