Military focuses on quick response cyber capabilities

With threats to its networks increasing, the Pentagon's approach to cyber warfare is focusing more on a quick response rather than a perfect solution, MG Mark Bowman, CIO for the Joint Staff, said Sept. 18.

In a keynote address to the annual Defense Systems Summit, Bowman said development of the Joint Information Environment (JIE), must stay ahead of rapidly changing technologies.

"If we wait to get it perfect we will guarantee one thing: We will be late. And we don't want to be late, or irrelevant," he said. "We want 60 to 70 to 80 percent solutions today."

Among the approaches to building better networks are efforts to work with the tech industry to find military uses for existing technologies, Bowman said. "Industry support to JIE is absolutely critical."

The goal is to ensure mission success in an increasingly more hostile environment, he said. "What keeps me up at night is not being able to get there fast enough."