Cyber Partnerships Critical Defense Official Says
Robert Butler
The Department of Defense is working throughout the government and private sector to develop long-term cybersecurity solutions, according to a DoD official. DoD is cognizant of the vital importance of protecting cyberspace, reflected in the Quadrennial Defense Review and the stand-up of Cyber Command, Robert J. Butler, deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, said yesterday during the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association cybersecurity symposium.
Cybersecurity requires partnerships and cooperation across the government and private sectors, Butler said.
“You can’t just do it with the federal sector,” he said. “You have to have the ISPs and others who really understand the networks involved.”
Retired Air Force Gen. Ronald E. Keys, a senior advisor at the Bipartisan Policy Center and a former commander of Air Combat Command, said the stand-up of Cyber Command is essential because in the past, “we didn’t know who the hell was on our networks.”
During his time with the Air Force, Keys said when a sub-command became infected, it was taken offline until it was cleaned. That is difficult to do with the private sector.
“If I go to an ISP to kick someone off, and they do it, then they get sued,” Keys said. “The question becomes how do we strip the proprietary and customer concerns off the information so we can share it?”
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