Every soldier should understand this about cyberspace: you are the Army\u2019s first line of defense, said one of the service\u2019s leaders in the cyber warfighting domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army is working on how it will train and equip soldiers to deal with an adversary they can\u2019t see, said Maj. Gen. Patricia Frost, who leads the Army Cyber Directorate at the Pentagon. The directorate, which opened last summer, is integrating the Army\u2019s cyber, electronic warfare and information operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the Army builds its organizations and capability in the cyber domain, \u201cwhere I think we need to go next is the understanding by every soldier,\u201d Frost told Army Times in an Oct. 5 interview at the Pentagon. \u201cEvery soldier knows \u2018I have to fire my weapon.\u2019 Does every soldier realize that they\u2019re the first line of defense in cyberspace? Between what you have at your work station or your warfighting platform, your iPhone or your Blackberry or all these end-point devices, the adversary only has to have one vector in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army needs a strong and capable cyber mission force, but responsibility for cyber defense belongs to all soldiers, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey need to understand what their responsibilities are when they log on,\u201d Frost said. \u201cThat can\u2019t just be Army Cyber\u2019s problem. Everyone is a defender in this space.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soldiers also need to know how to react when the electromagnetic environment in which they work is compromised, just as they need to know how to fire their weapon when wearing protective gear during a chemical, biological or nuclear event, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re talking about this integration with electronic warfare,\u201d Frost said. \u201cYou also need to know how to operate, depending on what your MOS is, in a degraded or denied environment, due to what could happen in an electromagnetic environment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The answer is not putting an electronic warfare soldier in every squad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t scale that across the Army. That\u2019s not realistic,\u201d she said. \u201cYou need to know as a soldier, how do I operate, and you need to understand what vulnerabilities you may open up for your squad, company, battalion, brigade, division or corps, by your cyber hygiene on the network.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new type of training<\/b> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soldiers may see a change in their training at combat training centers across the Army. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cyber education and training needs to take place not just at the Cyber Center of Excellence \u201cbut at all the centers of excellence to understand how this electromagnetic environment is affecting us and also how the cyber domain impacts us,\u201d Frost said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking at how do we change the training environment within our combat training centers to show the environment we\u2019d like to project,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re working very closely with the Combined Arms Center, with FORSCOM [Army Forces Command], on how do we create the right environment that brings in these different aspects,\u201d Frost said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new exercise<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent weeks the Army has been teaming up with the Marine Corps to look at training in signals, cyber and EW, and now a combined exercise is planned for February at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause we are all very invested in a land component view, there\u2019s a lot of synergy between us and the Marine Corps and how we want to emulate this type of environment,\u201d Frost said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FORSCOM will designate which unit will participate in the exercise, Frost said. The soldiers and Marines would interact to share information in a tactical environment so they can understand what\u2019s happening in that space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army in September conducted an exercise called Cyber Blitz at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. Marines came to observe and industry partners took part to see what\u2019s needed for EW and cyberspace capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division were there to try out prototypes of tools and also capabilities now available, then gave the industry partners their feedback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing the force<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army has made a \u201cvery significant\u201d investment in its cyber force, and in its manpower, organizational constructs, resourcing and acquisition, Frost said. The Army has achieved more than other services have so far, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel very strongly that the Army is truly leading the way in this space,\u201d Frost said. \u201cI think we\u2019re really seeing that come together now in how we\u2019re equipping the cyber mission force, the operational capabilities we\u2019re putting in our support to our geographic combatant commands we\u2019re aligned to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of Sept. 30, the Army was the first service to deliver all of its 41 active component teams at full operational capability, ahead of the other services and a year ahead of schedule, Frost said. The cyber teams were supposed to be at FOC by the end of 2018, so they were ready a year ahead of schedule, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army\u2019s reserve component teams are building up and expected to reach FOC by 2024, she said. Reserve component teams are already supporting critical missions in support of U.S. Cyber Command, under the operational control of Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, the commander of Army Cyber Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frost says she sees the progress as \u201ca huge win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army has opened the Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and is growing that center and its manning. The Army also has a cyber brigade at Fort Meade, Maryland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGenerating an operational force at Fort Gordon is just tremendous, and we hope we are setting the foundation to maybe be that joint service school \u2026 not just cyber but electronic warfare as well,\u201d Frost said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Priorities ahead<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the priorities for Army cyber now is to assess how secure and resilient its weapons platforms are, Frost said, and the same goes for installations and systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing a lot of mission analysis of what does the Army need,\u201d she said, including what type of cyber expertise is required at echelon as staff and as operators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another priority for the year ahead is supporting Army Cyber Command, the Army\u2019s only operational command in the cyber space, Frost said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to ensure that Gen. Nakasone is successful in what he is trying to achieve for \u201918 and beyond, and we\u2019re helping him achieve that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of his missions is defending the Department of Defense Information Network. The cyber directorate works to ensure his command is resourced and has the capabilities for that mission, which extends across every command to strengthen and secure the DODIN, Frost said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warfighting in cyberspace<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soldiers develop and mature in the Army, they should understand \u201cat the base level of their tradecraft\u201d how the different domains \u2014 land, air, sea, space and cyber \u2014 affect their warfighting function, Frost said, \u201cand how we integrate across all the centers of excellence and how we integrate operationally across the Army,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soldiers and commanders need to understand the battle spaces and visualize the invisible ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of the things we\u2019re working on not just in the cyber domain but in the electromagnetic environment is how do you visualize this space that is not tangible,\u201d Frost said. \u201cWe have right now a capability requirement for cyber situational understanding which would provide a visualization tool for commanders all the way down to the brigade combat team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commanders would also have a planning management tool to allow them to see the electromagnetic environment and their own unit\u2019s energy signatures as well as the enemy\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal is to give the commander tools to achieve mission success, and as the threat evolves, the capabilities evolve as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEveryone says it\u2019s about the technology and the hardware, but the Army is a people-focused service, we\u2019re about our people,\u201d Frost said. \u201cThe 8th Infantry Division was my first unit when I came into the Army and \u2018Soldiers are our credentials\u2019 was our motto. That truly is how were going to advance in this space.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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