Cyber Center

The Army's top cyber official said yesterday that the service will have to partner with industry to solve many of its cybersecurity problems.

Lt. General Edward Cardon told reporters at the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting that Army cybersecurity efforts cannot take seven to 10 years like standard acquisition programs. He advocated more partnerships with industry to better prepare the service for new threats.

"We didn't build with cybersecurity in mind before and I think there's growing realization that those problems are not going to be solved by the U.S. government," Cardon said. "It's got to be involved with partnership with industry that takes security more into account."

An Army cyber field manual is "in the works," he noted, and Army Secretary John McHugh is "very close" to making a decision on the establishment of an Army cyber center of excellence. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno approved the center -- where all service cyber personnel would receive training -- in July. The center would likely be based at Fort Gordon, GA.

Cardon also said the three-week government shutdown has hurt the Army's cybersecurity efforts because the service was forced to halt some training."Cyber is highly characterized by competence," he said. "The challenge with cyber is it's uncertain . . . we need every drop and readiness we can out of every dollar. Every day you have to think that you're a little bit vulnerable. If you don't think that you're vulnerable, you're probably not going to have a good day."

Cybersecurity has become a hot button issue for the U.S. government in the past year, with several reports of rampant computer espionage and theft of commercial and government data coming to light. In May, a confidential Defense Science Board report revealed that more than two dozen U.S. weapon systems had been compromised by Chinese hackers.

Lawmakers and military leaders alike are working to combat the problem. In June, the House Armed Services Committee passed its version of the fiscal year 2014 defense authorization bill, which contained language on cyber operations, including a requirement that the Defense Department "conduct a mission analysis for cyber operations and examine the proper balance of cyber capabilities across national security organizations as well as a report on coordination of cyber and electronic warfare activities."