Photo By Kari Hawkins | Force Protection is now part of the Army Material Command’s G-2/G6 CIO (Intelligence...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- When it comes to Shape the Fight, one of the most significant changes within Army Materiel Command combined two staff sections that, at first glance, may not really seem to fit together.
While other staff sections focused on internal changes to ensure the right level, type and assignment of employees to perform the mission, the G2/6 (CIO) focus was more external as AMC’s Intelligence, Physical Security (G-2), and Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6 merged their missions to better address information technology, governance, security, and cyber concerns vital to servicing and protecting the AMC enterprise. The merger of the G2 and CIO/G6 is a first in the Army, especially for an Army Command.
“Shape the Fight was powerful for us because it had to happen,” said Daniel Q. Bradford, a member of the senior executive service who oversees the 116 intelligence, security and cyber experts of the AMC G-2/6. “We can’t defend the logistics and sustainment mission without defending information technology networks and data that are at the heart of our systems.”
For the two staff sections, Shape the Fight is about realigning capabilities and missions into one joint section that addresses communications, networking, intelligence, and security issues while enhancing mission assurance and security for AMC’s facilities and production assets.
“Traditionally, a G-2 would not have cyber as a central part of its mission,” Bradford said. “But we are establishing defensive cyber capabilities by ensuring the cyber division has critical intelligence to inform our actions and protect the logistics enterprise. The intent is to combine intelligence and technology to defend the battle space. In all of AMC’s missions – logistics, supply, research and development, contracting and others –there are key systems and data sets that must be defended in cyber space to guarantee data integrity and system availability while protecting sensitive information vital to our mission.”
The G2 and CIO/G6 merger is focused on building both effectiveness and efficiency in response to tightening budgets.
“There’s a great deal of synergy between the G-2 and G-6. Information technology controls machines, facilities, industrial operations, and other systems that directly benefit from robust physical security,” Bradford said. “In addition, intelligence collected by the G-2 is invaluable to understanding the cyber threat and permits us to focus our limited resources appropriately. Powerful operational capabilities gained through a combined G2/6 enhances the defensive cyber posture for our mission systems, networks, and facilities.”
Just as in a kinetic engagement, credible intelligence is critical to informing the threat, movements and defensive strategy. Intelligence on current cyber threats, risks and activity will shape defensive movements in cyber space to protect AMC, he said.
“The prevalence of automation and industrial control systems used across the AMC manufacturing base, coupled with the size and scope of physical facilities pose particular challenges. “A combined G2/6 will help to understand and mitigate threats to these systems and facilities,” Bradford said.
“Through this process, we are looking at our logistics and sustainment missions through a cyber lens and considering how offensive cyber activity by our adversaries could affect those missions. Though we cannot defend everything, it’s important that we appropriately weigh risks and use intelligence to direct our defensive measures to provide mission assurance.”
As work continues to form the G-2/6, the concept of a Ready Army Civilian is also taking hold, with supervisors ensuring employees have the right education, training, experience, and capabilities to accomplish the mission.
“We are working to ensure that our AMC workforce has the correct training and skill sets in intelligence, physical security, information technology, and cyber functions to protect our assets,” Bradford said. “Ready Army Civilian is helping to inform the combined G2/6 (CIO) organizational construct. The key to success is people so we must make sure that we have highly qualified and trained employees working our focus areas across the G2/6 and throughout AMC.”
Ready Army Civilian is important because it focuses our efforts to make sure employees have the right skill sets, establishes how the Army will prepare its civilian employees to step into an Army environment and be productive, and it allows AMC to grow people as they move into greater positions of responsibility.
“We are working to identify our education and skill gaps and to develop training plans for our employees,” Bradford said. “Ready Army Civilian combined with appropriate training for our mission set is a long-term initiative that will take time; it may take 12 -24 months to establish the initial knowledge in cyber, information systems, and security before our employees can grow and sustain those skills.”
Bradford said many of the employees view the transition as an opportunity to learn something new and to be part of AMC’s emerging cyber and intelligence mission. The G-2/6 now involves multiple career paths – CP 11 (comptroller), 16 (scientists and engineers), 34 (information technology) and 35 (intelligence analyst) – all important career programs for G2/6 employees.
“Even within these specific functional areas, there are additional and secondary skill levels. For example, in the area of cyber, employees can focus on cyber operations, cyber compliance, or cyber engineering,” Bradford said.
Although the G-2/6 is now an established organization within AMC, Bradford said there is still a lot of work to do to focus the organization on its new combined mission.
“We must establish the capabilities to see ourselves, understand and address vulnerabilities in our technology, networks, and data systems, and assess the motivation and capabilities of our adversaries – we have to use intelligence to address the ever-changing threat and inform our actions,” he said. “Because we operate physical facilities and own industrial operations, it’s important that we have a holistic approach to protect the virtual and physical components of our mission space. Ultimately, the goal is to provide mission assurance for AMC, and to enable the commander to conduct logistics and sustainment operations globally.”
And, as the G-2/6 maps the way forward, its policies and processes will be shared with the AMC enterprise.
“The Organic Industrial Base and Major Subordinate Command chief information officers are the tip of the spear in conducting defensive cyber operations,” Bradford said.
“While the AMC HQ provides strategic intent and guidance, MSC and OIB personnel are on the ground where cyber activity by our adversaries is likely to occur. Major subordinate commands are part of the solution because they own pieces of the industrial base, are regionally focused, and have specific mission sets that collectively make up AMC’s ability to maneuver and conduct logistics and sustainment operations.”
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2019 09:38 |
| Story ID: | 307768 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 600 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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