Cyber Assurance Key Defender Against Worldwide Threats

By Kari Hawkins, AMCMay 22, 2017

ROBOTICS PROJECT
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Middle school students from the Motorized Mayhem FIRST LEGO League robotics team share their project with Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, deputy commander of the Army Materiel Command, during their demonstration at a breakfast meeting of the National Space Clu... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
NATIONAL SPACE CLUB SPEAKER
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ENCOURAGING FUTURE LEADERS
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – During his visit with the National Space Club-Huntsville, Army Materiel Command deputy commander Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche talks with middle school students who are members of the Motorized Mayhem FIRST LEGO League robotics team of Madison. The team, whic... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
WINNING TEAM
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Members of the National Space Club-Huntsville and Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, deputy commander of the Army Materiel Command, share a photo with middle school students who are members of the Motorized Mayhem FIRST LEGO League robotics team of Madison. The t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
RECOGNIZING FUTURE LEADERS
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, commanding general of the Army Materiel Command, recognizes members of the Motorized Mayhem FIRST LEGO League robotics team during his comments to the National Space Club-Huntsville, Ala., breakfast meeting May 15. The robotics ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Worldwide cyberattacks are increasing the importance of cyber assurance in defending the Army's ability to protect and defend U.S. freedoms and interests, an Army three-star general told members of the National Space Club-Huntsville May 15.

Speaking to a group of about 200 members at a space club breakfast at Huntsville's Jackson Center, Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, the deputy commander of the Army Materiel Command, said cyber assurance is a priority with the Army and AMC to protect its computer networks against the type of cyberattacks that have affected U.S. computer networks and, most recently, the computer networks in more than 150 countries.

"Cyber assurance within the Army Materiel Command is absolutely critical to us because of the type of warfare being waged in cyberspace," Wyche said.

Cyberattacks can affect supply chains, weapon system performance and logistics, he said. It is especially threatening to large, diverse, complex, global organizations like AMC with an annual budget of $50 billion; a presence in 165 countries and all 50 states; and a mission to support the Army's equipment and supply needs worldwide.

Wyche referred to U.S. cyberattacks on businesses that compromised customer debit and credit cards, and the federal government hack attacks in 2015 that have the potential to affect 23 million personnel, capture more than 5 million fingerprints and threaten the credentials of 3,500 Soldiers and civilians working for the Joint Chief of Staff.

"These are serious issues with our Army and nation. The sad news is our adversaries keep getting better at getting better. They are truly working hard to make their best better. And so we have to be at the top of our game and get on top of this cyber business," he said.

AMC has an active cyber assurance mission that searches out threats and vulnerabilities, and then builds the protection needed to defend against possible cyberattacks.

"In the next conflict, cyber assurance will play a major role long before the first shot is fired," Wyche said.

Future cyberattacks could prevent critical aviation and missile parts from getting to units in theater; could disrupt production schedules and maintenance schedules; and could cause missiles to hit the wrong target or friendly forces, for example.

The Army is committing resources and personnel needed to assure its ability to protect against cyberattacks globally, Wyche said.

Wyche traced the impact that cyber technology has had on U.S. communications and information, mentioning the nation's earliest cell phones, vinyl records and record players, rotary phones and party lines, and encyclopedias.

"Everything I shared with you is on the cell phone. There are thousands of ways to reach out and touch the world. But with the good comes the challenges. These technologies come with significant complications on cyber assurance," Wyche said, adding that "cyber is one of the greatest game changers and challenges."

"The Army Materiel Command has worked relentlessly to protect and ensure our ability to provide equipment, materiel and ammunition, and to supply our forces globally deployed," he said.

AMC has a network and information system that makes it one of the largest Enterprise Reserve Planning systems in America. Because of that, Wyche said, cyber threats are "constantly monitoring our systems, looking for a way in to steal control, steal our innovation and jump from one network to another."

To have an effective cyber assurance strategy, AMC personnel must have a "clear understanding" of the complexity of the AMC mission, the priority of issues and the possible points of critical failures, and be able to break down each mission to determine how each could be impacted from a cyber standpoint.

"We have to look at the architecture of critical assets to find choke points and sensitivities in the system," Wyche said. "We have to understand the threats coming from China, the threats coming from Russia, the threats coming from North Korea and the insider threats. We spend a great deal of time focusing on the threat and mission vulnerabilities.

"We must truly have an assessment of the impact threats have on our mission and a good look at what risks we are dealing with and how to mitigate that risk … and what risks we can live with. At the end of the day, we're in the warfighting business and we focus on the risk that could disrupt necessary equipment from getting to our Soldiers on the battlefield."

AMC must balance protection of weapon systems while also managing a supply chain that includes 11,000 vendors.

Industry stakeholders can assist in protecting computer network systems by knowing their vendors and suppliers, Wyche said. With one missile systems requiring up to 2,000 suppliers, AMC must rely on its industry stakeholders to vet second-tier and third-tier suppliers to ensure protection against malicious programming code and to increase cyber assurance.

AMC also follows best practices in cyber assurance, establishes trusted vendors, follows higher standards for inspections and quality, and uses contractor language in contracts that provides for stricter cyber capabilities.

"We have to see ourselves today and we have to think differently about the future," he said.