Washington — The Department of Defense on Thursday released its first strategy aimed at strengthening cybersecurity across defense industry stakeholders.
The Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Strategy charts a course for the Department of Defense and the U.S. defense industrial base to focus on cybersecurity efforts and increase cooperation as officials say cyber threats continue. ing.
“Our adversaries understand the strategic value of targeting DIB,” said David McCune, the Pentagon's deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity. “Private sector DIB contractors are at risk of malicious cyber activity by adversaries and non-state actors,” he said. “By working with DIB, we can better ensure the safety of critical information and the protection of unauthorized disclosure of that information.”
McCune, who also serves as the Pentagon's senior information security officer, announced the strategy along with Stacey Bostanick, director of the Pentagon's Defense Industrial Infrastructure Cybersecurity Division.
“We have to overcome this very complex challenge,” Bosjanik said. “This is a well-thought-out, multifaceted, agile and nuanced response to the ever-evolving challenge of protecting his DIB from malicious cyber activity.”
This strategy sets out the Department of Defense's vision for the next three years to build a secure, resilient, and technologically capable U.S. defense industrial base to ensure America's warfighting advantage.
We outline four goals that align with that vision.
1. Strengthen the Department of Defense's governance structure for cybersecurity of the U.S. defense industrial base.
2. Strengthen the cybersecurity posture of the U.S. defense industrial base.
3. Maintain the resilience of critical defense industrial base capabilities in a cyber competitive environment.and
4. Improve cybersecurity cooperation between the Department of Defense and the U.S. defense industrial base.
Central to the goal of strengthening the Department of Defense's cybersecurity governance structure are efforts to increase interagency cooperation and develop regulations to further manage the cybersecurity responsibilities of contractors and subcontractors.
Regarding strengthening DIB's cybersecurity posture, the strategy outlines steps to assess compliance with the department's cybersecurity requirements and assess the effectiveness of regulations and requirements. It also outlines steps to work with industry partners to improve cyber-related threat and intelligence information, identify vulnerabilities, and recover from malicious cyber activity.
The strategy also directs the department to prioritize cyber resiliency within critical defense production capabilities and establish policies focused on cybersecurity for key suppliers.
This focus is consistent with broader sector guidance, including the 2022 National Defense Strategy and the 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy.
The newly released document also responds to the requirement outlined in the 2023 Strategy to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure the reliability and integrity of critical weapons systems production nodes.
The Cybersecurity Strategy also represents the Department's continued efforts to ensure the defense industrial base can meet the demands of a challenging national security landscape.
Earlier this year, the Department of Defense released the National Defense Industrial Strategy. It is a long-term plan that guides the Department's actions to build a modern and resilient defense industrial ecosystem designed to deter America's adversaries and meet the production demands posed by evolving threats. It shows important priorities.
The NDIS focuses on four key areas that are critical to building a modernized defense industrial ecosystem over the next three to five years. These areas are resilient supply chains, workforce readiness, flexible procurement, and economic containment.
The newly released cybersecurity strategy further builds on collaboration between the Department of Defense and its industry partners.
“We have identified opportunities to strengthen the cybersecurity of our DIB partners, which will improve cybersecurity across the United States,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in a statement accompanying the strategy announcement. “As our adversaries continually seek information about U.S. capabilities, the Department must work with DIB to remain resilient against these attacks and succeed in defending our nation through teamwork. ”
