Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

Space Force starts transitioning cybersecurity professionals into its ranks

Friday, February 19, 2021

Categories: ASCF News Cyber Security

Comments: 0

The Space Force started receiving its first cybersecurity personnel from other military services at the beginning of February, the chief of space operations said recently.

Most of those cyber personnel transitioning into the new force come from within the Department of the Air Force, which oversees the Space Force. In total, the force has brought in 2,400 of the 6,400 active duty cyber personnel it’s planning for, Gen. John Raymond, commanding general of the Space Force, told reporters during a Defense Writers Group media call

These Cyber Guardians — what members of the Space Force are called — will be protecting satellites and other space-based assets from hacking. While Space Force leaders often repeat they want to keep the newest branch of the military “lean,” cyber personnel is one category they are actively bringing onboard.

“There’s a spectrum of threats that are out there. Everything from reversible jamming of satellites and GPS satellites, communication satellites, GPS satellites,” Raymond said. “And there’s cyber threats.”

Civilian leadership in the Department of the Air Force has put greater emphasis on satellite security. At the DEF CON 2020 conference, the Air Force and Space Force partnered with ethical hackers to find better ways to harden their cyberdefenses. Working with outside experts helped the department to better identify vulnerabilities.

But now the force wants its own cyber personnel to boost its cyber expertise.

“They will be part of our crew force; they’ll understand the cyber terrain of space and will help us protect this critical domain from that threat,” Raymond said of the new cyber operators in the Space Force.

Space Force acquisition professionals have also been at work to increase cybersecurity by inking new deals with private security companies. One recent deal with Xage security will build a zero trust-style security system to protect space assets.

Photo: U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. Raymond conducts a press briefing with the Pentagon Press Corps. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wayne Clark)

Link: Space Force starts transitioning cybersecurity professionals into its ranks (fedscoop.com)

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