Defensive Cyberspace Operations At Joint Forces Headquarters-Department Of Defense Information Network

Leveraging the use of cyberspace operations is significant to fully employ today’s joint force. The cyberspace domain is the newest domain and has immeasurable potential and possibilities. This domain is the only domain that intersects the four natural domains – air, land, sea and space. Its use is worldwide with citizenry as well as throughout the military services. Banking and financial industries business is conducted via the internet. Military operations utilize this domain for a myriad of reasons to ultimately protect the freedom and liberty of this country. Because of its widespread use and commonality, this domain is in dire need to be defended against all aggressors at home or abroad. Access to the Internet provides adversaries

Introduction

Intelligence is a force-multiplier and is used in all military operations.1 To succeed in defensive cyberspace operations at Joint Forces Headquarters – Department of Defense Information Networks (JFHQ-DODIN), the intelligence functionality should be utilized to its fullest capacity. Defensive Cyberspace Operations protects the data, network and other vital systems. Before the JFHQ-DoDIN, a military service responded to an attack on its network, dealt with the problem. The other services and agencies were potentially vulnerable to the same attack due to unawareness. There was no joint mechanism to inform the DoD network to the threat. JFHQ-DoDIN assumed this responsibility. Cyber leaders and warriors must continually evolve to adapt to future innovations. By incorporating three elements to the intelligence analyst’s capacity, it will provide better intelligence support for defensive cyberspace operations. As the internet continues to grow and accrue unprecedented threats and global security

The organization combines all of the services cyber defense efforts. The command and control (C2) of defensive cyber operations are under the authority of a single commander. Cyberspace is a warfighting domain that need protection from its adversaries. This environment must be operated just as in the other domains – air, land, sea and space. Network assets are oriented, operated, protected and defended while denying the adversary’s intrusions. To bring this to fruition, the intelligence analyst plays a key role in protecting the information networks. Since the cyberspace domain is vastly different from its predecessors, the intelligence analyst’s skillset requires refinement and a different focus. The objective is to present opportunities that will bolster and enrich the knowledge, skills and abilities to ultimately secure, protect and defend