Leslie Beavers, principal deputy chief information officer of the Department of Defense, is calling for increased collaboration between DOD and the private sector to address cybersecurity threats.
In an event involving private and government sector representatives, Beavers said that cybersecurity challenges are a “whole of government” issue that can only be solved with everyone’s participation.
She highlighted the initiatives DOD has begun to strengthen defense against internet-based attacks, including their zero trust framework. The strategy comprises four high-level goals: zero trust enablement, technology acceleration, cultural adoption and security and defense of their information systems.
Beavers said they are also ramping up user experience modernization and recruiting more talent to man their cybersecurity operations. She emphasized that all of their approaches will need industry partnerships in order to be effective.
“The Department of Defense, as large as it is, is heavily reliant on civilian infrastructure and companies as well as other government organizations,” Beavers said. “It’s a journey that we have to go on together.”