Collective focus and alignment across the government and private sector are key to owning the cyber domain in an increasingly complex strategic environment, Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command, said today during an address at the TechNet Cyber 2023 conference.
The current era, defined by threats that defy geographic borders and warfighting domains, calls for “urgency of action” from military and private sector partners to meet the challenge, he said.
“‘Steady state’ is an anachronism,” said Nakasone. “Today, competition, crisis and conflict are our watchwords; China, our pacing challenge; Russia, our pacing threat.”
“In this environment, the winners will be those that can set conditions for dynamic collaboration, that enable understanding and action,” he said.
Nakasone, who also serves as the director of the National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service, highlighted Cybercom’s strategy to meet the challenge.
“Our strategic approach is persistent engagement,” he said. “We seize the initiative in this domain. We are not ceding space or time to our adversaries.”
He added that success depends on “connective tissue” and alignment with partners throughout the private sector and the joint force.
“Our desired end state is an end state of a unity of effort,” he said. “This is an intangible competitive advantage.”
Nakasone’s address kicked off the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association’s two-day conference Baltimore.
The annual TechNet Cyber conference brings together private sector and government partners to address the global security challenges shaping the digital environment.
The theme of this year’s conference is “The Urgency of Action: Focused, Aligned and Ready.”