Content Manager posted on February 01, 2012 10:00
February / March 2012 - Navy
By Ashley Gatewood
Keeping cyberspace secure may seem like an
impossibly daunting task––but, for the Navy, it is
a crucial one. AUSN held a Navy Now Forum
series to address this timely topic which has serious
implications in today’s Navy. Rear Admiral William E.
Leigher, Director of Program Integration for Information
Dominance (OPNAV N2/N6F) was the event’s guest speaker
and addressed the Navy Now Forum audience at
Washington, DC’s, Ronald Reagan Building on November
17th.
After an introduction from AUSN’s President, RADM
Timothy Moon, Rear Admiral Leigher took the podium to
discuss what cyberspace means to him and its affect on
intelligence. With the majority of his naval career spent in
naval communications, Rear Admiral Leigher is an expert
and close observer of how the rise and proliferation of
cyberspace has impacted, and will continue to impact,
security.
After pointing out that nearly everyone in the audience
had a personal electronic device within arm’s reach, he
noted, “Our devices allow us to enter cyberspace from
almost anyplace on the planet. That’s the piece that’s the
challenge for me right now––to secure so that we can use
these smart devices in our environment.”
Rear Admiral Leigher spoke about the three major
factors that make cyberspace unique over other platforms.
Firstly, we attack and defend on the same platform where
our adversaries attack and defend. Next, industry drives
the domain more than the platform domains. Lastly is the
speed at which a weapon can change and how robust its
capabilities can become in a short time. For instance, in
cyberspace, a weapon’s capabilities can be enhanced in a
matter of months instead of years for more traditional
weapons.
He also touched upon the challenges that arise when
the Navy uses technology from the commercial sector.
Because defense is a niche market for the devices, the manufacturers
aren’t necessarily keen to make them to the
defense sector’s standards. The issue then becomes how to
use commercial sector technology but ensure it is properly
adapted for the Navy’s use.
In closing, he brought the discussion full circle back to a
statement he made earlier in his presentation regarding
the role communications play in command control, “If we
can’t assure command control in the Navy, we’re not going
to be effective.”