Cyber Defense Demands Government-Industry Cooperation

FAIRFAX, Va., April 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has surpassed the one-year mark in its operational role as cyber domain network defender. During the past 14 months, the formal relationship between DISA, U.S. Cyber Command and the command's military service components has grown. Mounting malicious activity in cyberspace has increased its importance to the U.S. Defense Department's missions.

To meet current cyberthreat challenges, the department's networks must be adaptive, resilient and effective across a range of uses and against diverse threats. Leveraging technology, promoting agile acquisition and building new processes and procedures are required to achieve the highest level of information assurance.

Face-to-face military and industry collaboration is one of the most efficient ways to attain this goal. To foster the conversation, AFCEA International is hosting the Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium April 20-22 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. During "Rethinking How We Build the Networks: Synchronizing Industry and DOD for Internet 2.0," participants will discuss recent developments in the cyber realm through a mix of plenary addresses, panel sessions and training seminars. 

"Do you work in the cyber area? Then I have some questions for you," Lt. Gen. Alan R. Lynn, USA, director, DISA, says. "How do we do 100 percent assured identity and build networks that can respond to and overcome our adversaries' attacks? How do we design the next level of encryption for security? How do we design for the next version of the Internet? These are just a few of the questions that I hope you will help us answer as part of our discussions at the 2016 Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium."

Speakers from DISA, U.S. Cyber Command and the Defense Department's CIO office will share information about the burgeoning threats they must tackle to protect their networks. Representatives from combatant commands, military agencies, the services and industry will add their own insights to foster the conversation. In addition, the symposium will feature demonstrations of the latest technical solutions.

Tony Montemarano, executive deputy director at DISA, will kick off the symposium at a workshop titled "DISA 102." At the 2015 event, the room for this session was filled to capacity.

Among the experts sharing insights at symposium will be:

• Lt. Gen. Alan R. Lynn, USA, DISA director and commander of Joint Force Headquarters–Department of Defense Information Networks
• Maj. Gen. Sarah E. Zabel, USAF, DISA vice director
• Margaret "Meg" Whitman, president and CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Panel topics include:

• International Implications of Defensive Cyber Operations
• The DISA Business Enterprise
• Software-Defined Everything
• The Internet of Things: A New Frontier in Cybersecurity

Of particular interest to small businesses will be panelists discussing the knowns and unknowns of the capture process. Brenda K. Leonard, product analyst at DISA, will lead the discussion.

Additional information and registration information is available online. AFCEA members save more than $100 on registration. Membership applications are available on the association website.

AFCEA International, established in 1946, is a nonprofit membership association serving the military, government, industry and academia. Join online.

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