2018 AFCEA Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium

Sessions Speakers Exhibitors Products Press Releases Floor Plan Buzz

Panel: Delivering Solutions for Enhanced Command and Control (Room Hall E)

Command and control (C2) in any domain is enabled by situational awareness (SA) and the capability to direct forces to enable effects.  C2 for Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) is no exception.  Commanders need situational awareness, which consists of network awareness, mission awareness, force and threat awareness.  The complexity and dynamic nature of the cyber domain and the rapid timescale of cyberspace actions (often in machine time) present important challenges to sensemaking, timely decision making, and responsive and effective action.  Work is underway in DoD to develop and field C2 capabilities for cyberspace operations to enable success in these conditions.  Key enabling capabilities include technologies to improve network and mission awareness, machine learning and automation to augment the sensemaking capabilities of defenders and better align the timescales of defense with those of offensive actors, and trained personnel and teams to generate awareness and respond to threats.  This panel will discuss perspectives on the needs and key challenges for C2 in the context of DCO, capabilities that are being developed to address these challenges, and how DoD and industry are transforming to deliver these capabilities in ever more agile and rapid ways to meet the evolving needs of enabling the Department to operate in a cyber-contested environment.