Ensuring 'Pervasive Communication' for Air Force and Space Force
In a world where communication is crucial, the Department of the Air Force and Space Force prioritizes secure mobile communication, especially in challenging environments such as degraded or denied spaces. This is achieved through specialized expeditionary communications teams like the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE).
The JCSE rapidly deploys to provide critical communications infrastructure, ensuring reliable connectivity across various theaters and over 180 global bases. They prepare extensively for large-scale joint exercises and operations, building communication kits, designing architecture, and coordinating logistics before deployment. This meticulous planning guarantees a seamless information flow between U.S. forces and partners under difficult conditions.
Aaron Bishop, the Chief Information Security Officer of the Department of the Air Force, is at the helm of this operation. He is responsible for ensuring secure communications to satellites in space, across more than 180 bases worldwide, and potential international allies.
Bishop emphasizes the importance of consistent communication across all channels, be it terrestrial link, satellite link, radio frequency, or any other data transport channel. He also underscores the significance of identifying, tagging, and managing data in building a zero trust infrastructure. This approach helps contain damage in case of human error or misconfigured systems.
However, Bishop faces a tension between using the newest technology and ensuring network security. The department is working towards ubiquitous communication, ensuring the same protections across every medium used for communication. This includes not just traditional devices like laptops and desktops, but also newer endpoints such as tablets, iPads, watches, in-vehicle and aircraft displays, and more.
Every new technology, solution, or link in the supply chain introduces new vulnerabilities but also opportunities to apply zero trust principles. IT personnel should always know what they have, how to protect it, and what it looks like under normal conditions. The key to securing various communication channels is anticipating changes through zero trust principles.
The focus is on the supply chain and ensuring endpoint devices have a standard set of protections. Configuration, protections, and things to be done for the endpoint must apply to all these different kinds of devices before they are allowed into the ecosystem. The challenge of incorporating various endpoint devices into the zero trust infrastructure is monumental, but it is a necessary step towards a secure and adaptable communication network.
In discussions on Federal Monthly Insights - Securing mobile collaboration and The Federal Drive, Bishop discusses these issues, providing insights into the strategies and challenges of maintaining secure mobile communication for the Department of the Air Force and Space Force.
(1) In the context of space-and-astronomy, Bishop is responsible for ensuring secure communications to satellites, demonstrating the unity of science and technology in securing communication networks.
(2) Cybersecurity is a significant concern for Bishop as the Department of the Air Force and Space Force strive towards ubiquitous communication, with every new technology introducing potential vulnerabilities that need to be addressed through a zero trust infrastructure.
