Army CIO Says Defense Personnel Need to Keep Good Cyber Hygiene

Pentagon leaders said personnel must have a collective cybersecurity responsibility amid looming threats and a continuously evolving digital landscape.

Speaking at a National Guard Bureau town hall, U.S. Army Chief Information Officer and past Potomac Officers Club speaker Leonel Garciga said military personnel must practice good cyber hygiene daily to ensure that adversaries cannot infiltrate systems. He noted that failure to do so would put state and non-state adversaries a step ahead of the United States.

Other speakers also talked about critical cybersecurity factors, including vigilance; tactics, techniques and procedures awareness; the broadening range of cyber targets; and the importance of international partnerships, the U.S. National Guard said Monday.

Military leaders across the United States have been sharing other cybersecurity insights in recent months.

In June, Maj. Gen. William Hartman, commander of the U.S. Cyber Command’s Cyber National Mission Force, said information sharing with the private sector through the CNMF’s Under Advisement program helps improve cybersecurity. In May, Lt. Gen. Maria Barrett, the commanding general of the Army Cyber Command, said the military needs to integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning and other emerging technologies to improve cybersecurity workloads.