DoD’s Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Strategy calls for strengthened structures, collaboration

With the recent release of its Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cybersecurity (CS) Strategy, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) sought to lay out a means to achieve internal and industry-facing cybersecurity through 2027. 

The strategy is split into four goal areas: 

1. Strengthening the DoD governance structure for DIB cybersecurity
2. Building cybersecurity among DIB contractors
3. Ensuring resilience for critical DIB capabilities in contested cyber environments
4. Improving collaboration with industry partners

“We have identified opportunities to bolster cybersecurity of our DIB partners, which will improve our overall cybersecurity of the US,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said.  “As our adversaries continuously seek information about U.S. capabilities, the Department, in coordination with the DIB, must remain resilient against these attacks and succeed through teamwork to defend the Nation.”

The strategy covers fiscal years 2024 through 2027 and will see DoD work together with the DIB, industry and academic experts, as well as R&D organizations. In its strategy, the DoD noted that it relies upon industry to ensure the security of its defense information on privately owned and operated systems, along with contractor proprietary information on which the U.S. military relies. Theft or compromisation of these organizations could, therefore, pose imminent threats to U.S. national and economic security – and foreign adversaries know this.

In its report, the department emphasized that it must continue to modernize business practices, invest appropriately in technology, and protect those investments with a strong cyber workforce.