REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- October marked Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a concerted and formal effort spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to provide the tools, support, and information that partner agencies need to secure the vital services fundamental to national security. Just because October has passed, cybersecurity awareness never ends.
For the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command’s G2/6 Cybersecurity Team, ensuring a secure, compliant and resilient digital environment that the Army Security Assistance Enterprise or ASAE relies on is a year-round task with global implications.
USASAC supports the ASAE by developing and managing security assistance programs and foreign military sales cases for the U.S. Army at a current value of $331.3 billion across 134 countries.
“While USASAC’S operational execution of FMS cases belongs to program, country and case managers, cybersecurity supports the process by securing the systems, networks and data flows that enable FMS case management,” said Sandra Garner, USASAC G2/6 cybersecurity policy specialist.
Case management and implementation rely heavily on systems such as the Centralized Information System for International Logistics, or CISIL, and the Defense Security Assistance Management System, or DSAMS. Protecting these systems and ensuring the security of sensitive information is tantamount to overall mission success for both the ASAE and foreign partners and allies.
Through the utilization of software such as Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure Active Directory, and Assured Compliance Assessment Solution, or ACAS, USASAC’s cybersecurity professionals manage user authentication and access to data and safeguard systems from vulnerabilities.
The Cybersecurity Team’s scope reaches far beyond FMS-related system support, though. The team is multi-faceted, covering a range of responsibilities from command-wide network and user account protection to information assurance and cyber policy compliance.
For Garner, her domain lies in governance and policy, which she said is the connective tissue among regulations, leadership intent and practical execution.
Garner’s responsibilities are rooted in the reference and interpretation of Department of Defense, Army and federal cybersecurity policies and the implementation of those policies as they relate to USASAC.
“A typical day for me may include reviewing new or updated cyber directives, advising leadership and system owners on compliance issues or requirements, and updating documentation, guidance and artifacts,” said Garner. “I also collaborate with our technical cybersecurity, network and system teams within G2/6 to ensure security policies are implementable.”
The collaborative effort is not limited to the G2/6. Garner said collaboration reaches all corners of USASAC and the ASAE, as well as external stakeholders such as contractors and vendors.
Both internally and externally, what the enterprise’s work boils down to is the secure handling of FMS-related data, safeguarding financial and logistical processes and information and protecting the U.S.’s and its partners and allies’ assets.
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