US Army Cyber Center of Excellence commander talks cyber with German signal Soldiers

By William B. King, 5th Signal Command Public AffairsApril 1, 2015

US Army Cyber Center of Excellence commander talks cyber with German signal Soldiers
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon, and Maj. Gen. Heinrich-Wilhelm Steiner, commander of the the Bundeswehr Communication and Information Systems Command, sign a certificate of pa... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US Army Cyber Center of Excellence commander talks cyber with German signal Soldiers
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon, speaks to about 100 Soldiers of the Bundeswehr Communication and Information Systems Command on the evolving role of cyber in U.S. Army operati... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US Army Cyber Center of Excellence commander talks cyber with German signal Soldiers
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon meets with Col. Jimmy L. Hall Jr., commander of 5th Signal Command and the U.S. Army Europe Chief Information Officer/G6 March 31, 2015 at of t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WIESBADEN, Germany -- Maj. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon, spoke to about 100 Soldiers of the Bundeswehr Communication and Information Systems Command on the evolving role of cyber in U.S. Army operations March 31, 2015 at BwCISCOM's headquarters in Bonn, Germany.

Fogarty described cyber as the successful integration of signal, intelligence, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities, and talked about how the Cyber Center of Excellence is working to build facilities and develop curriculum to train cyber operators and planners. He said it will take about three years to truly become the Cyber Center of Excellence, and that it would require a culture change at Fort Gordon.

"Fort Gordon is not just a training post, it's an operational platform, a power projection platform, and the power that it projects is information dominance," Fogarty said.

He said only about 30 percent of the installation's mission is associated with training, while 50 percent is in intelligence gathering and processing.

Fogarty described all signal and cyber Soldiers as "operators" and emphasized the important role they play in Army, joint, interagency and multinational operations.

"IT and communications are the foundation that enables every other successful operation," Fogarty said.

Fogarty and Maj. Gen. Heinrich-Wilhelm Steiner, commander, BwCISCOM, signed a certificate of partnership expressing the intent to cooperate more closely between the Cyber Center of Excellence and BwCISCOM. The partnership, according to Steiner, will improve operational readiness and professional excellence by promoting understanding and exchange of expertise.

"The provision of command support and striving for information superiority is our common business. Both of our countries have been doing this successfully and side-by-side," Steiner said.

After the presentation Fogarty met with Col. Jimmy L. Hall Jr., commander of 5th Signal Command and the U.S. Army Europe Chief Information Officer/G6. The two talked about a wide range of signal and cyber related issues, including challenges of achieving interoperability with Allies, computer and network access for regionally aligned forces, and signal force training and restructuring. Hall briefed Fogarty on 5th Signal Command's mission and current operations, as well as how signal and cyber are working to build a Strong Europe.

Hall emphasized the need for doctrine to catch up to what's happening in the force today, and said, "It's exciting that we can impact doctrine going forward."

---

5th Signal Command's mission is to build, operate and defend network capabilities to enable mission command and create tactical, operational, and strategic flexibility for Army, Joint and Multinational forces in the EUCOM and AFRICOM areas of responsibility.

Related Links:

U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence

5th Signal Command

U.S. Army Europe

5th Signal Command on Facebook

5th Signal Command on Twitter