New Technologies
The Navy must improve its capabilities and capacity so it can lead in dynamic cyber warfare operations, said Vice Admiral Bernard McCullough, commander of the U.S. Navy Fleet Cyber Command. At the Center for Strategic and International Studies, McCullough outlined…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
steps taken by the Navy to improve its network operations and security since the establishment of the Cyber Command. “We've begun to get our arms around the problem set,” but “anyone who thinks there’s a quick fix … is sadly mistaken.” Many challenges remain, including establishing operational standards, he said. The Navy’s various cybersecurity divisions around the country are doing “great work,” but no two groups are doing things the same way, McCullough said. Defending networks, the Navy also needs to become more proactive and predictive, and less reactive, he said. If the Navy can’t defend its network, its offensive ability on the network doesn’t matter, he said: “We're just going to lose.” The Navy must improve its ability to read the network so it can better detect attacks, he said. “We don’t understand what normal is.” The Navy may also needs to rethink how it assigns personnel to cyber issues, he said. In site visits, McCullough discovered that many divisions lack experienced officers, he said.