Army cyber office going full steam ahead

An Army Cyber Directorate official says his office is making moves on cyber defense -- and is eager to do it better, faster and cheaper than the federal government status quo.

The Army cyber office, recognizing the increasing Internet-borne threat, is looking to move ahead even as progress on the U.S. Cyber Command seems to have stalled. “We are recognizing at the highest level the need to address this persistent threat – persistent being the key word,” said Lewis Schulz, chief of integration and liaison activities for the U.S. Army Cyber Directorate.

Schulz, speaking at the AFCEA Belvoir Industry Day on March 30, also stressed the need for bureaucratic transformation to meet the cyber threat. “We are interested in any organization that does it better, faster and cheaper, whether it’s government or not,” Schulz said. “We are effecting change.”

According to Schulz, upcoming moves on cyber defense will bring about a lot of changes in U.S. information security. “You will see changes in [the Federal Information Security Management Act], and you will see changes in the way the government reaches into the lives of everyday citizens…because we don’t have a handle on the cyber threat,” he said.