Jason Christman, CISSP, PMP is teaching ATI’s Cyber Warfare – Global Trends course which will be offered on February 10-12, 2015 and April 14-17, 2015 in Columbia, MD.
US Department of Defense has recently released a 2014 report that showed that nearly every U.S. weapons program tested in fiscal 2014 showed “significant vulnerabilities” to cyber attacks.
Here is Mr. Christman’s opinion on this subject:
When senior defense officials use phrases like “fight through” cyber attacks I think about the Hollywood portrayal of the heroic David character battling Goliath, or the clever outcast protagonist outsmarting the evil mega-corporation. Remember that recently cancelled TV series about the US Cyber Command guy with the computer chip in his head? Too often we rely on heroics and hope that our legacy of winning in conventional kinetic warfare will protect us.
Then I look at how the defense acquisition process pays lip service to cybersecurity and devalues genuine innovation. Where is our Manhattan Project for Cyber? There are pockets of hobby-shop activity going on in Gov/Industry labs but nothing on the order of what is needed to defend our nation.On the positive side, there is some great work being done on cyberspace visualization, situational awareness, neurocognitive computing, and Software Defined X. All are potential catalysts for much needed innovation. Please, just not another smart firewall from a company whose name is the combination of a color + animal.
The problem goes far beyond analyzing vulnerabilities. It’s a story the APL and other R&D innovators will thoroughly enjoy and be inspired by. The challenge is changing the mindset of the people in policy, strategy, operations, and acquisition.
Jason Christman, CISSP, PMP, is a senior technology executive with an extensive background in strategic planning, operations management, and technology development across commercial and government sectors. He holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in computer science and is a proponent of human-centered computing and the convergence of neuroscience technology with cyber systems. His subject matter expertise spans information and communication technologies, cyber operations, cyber planning, threat intelligence analysis, decision analytics, and information operations across multiple cyber mission areas for homeland defense, intelligence, and special operations. He is a Master Cyberspace Operations Officer serving as the Director of Cyber Operations on the Joint Staff for the State of Delaware and is a co-founder of the first Network Warfare Squadron in the Air National Guard.
