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A More Interconnected Department of Defense is Essential to 2024 Mission Success

By Michael Fry, Director, Aerospace Defense Division, Sev1Tech

In 2023, the U.S. Air Force and Space Force intensified IT modernization efforts with their integration and deployment of a meshONE-Terrestrial data transport network, making progress on the Department of Defense's (DOD) JADC2 initiative of achieving an interconnected defense network. With the White Houses' proposed budget of $842 billion for DOD in FY 2024, the department will have the federal support needed to continue their adoption of emerging technologies to strengthen network connectivity.

With the increased federal emphasis on network connectivity in the coming year, we can expect to see a rush among defense agencies to boost data sharing, cloud, zero trust, and DevSecOps capabilities with the goal of more efficiently facilitating communications across military operations and partners.

However, as more agencies begin to understand the breadth and complexities of such technologies, we can also expect to see challenges and pain points in procurement, adoption and implementation.

In 2024, it will be imperative for defense agencies to not only adopt these advanced capabilities to bolster network connectivity, but to also invest in the education of personnel who use these platforms to properly maintain them as well as look to industry partnerships to ensure operational efficiency when deploying and utilizing these complex interconnected defense communication systems.

Data will Drive Military Operations

In the new year, the Air Force, Space Force, and broader DOD will encounter significant data challenges as military operations continue to digitize, including handling enormous volumes of data from diverse sources and formats, achieving organizational approvals for data sharing across a variety of military branches, and ensuring robust cybersecurity measures against rapidly increasing threats to data security. Military branches must also tackle the existing complexities of real-time data processing and the limitations of bandwidth, which is particularly important for the Space Force's extraterrestrial operations.

Improving network connectivity will be critical to overcoming these data hurdles, as it will enable faster and more reliable data transmission that is essential for real-time analytics and operational coordination. Additionally, these enhanced networks can incorporate advanced encryption and security protocols, ensuring secure communications vital for national defense strategies. Ultimately, a robust connectivity infrastructure will empower the DOD to transform raw data into actionable intelligence, driving more efficient and effective military operations.

Cloud Capabilities will Propel Mission-Critical Tasks

In 2024, we will see the Air Force and Space Force greatly advance their cloud operational capabilities through focused investments in specialized education and training, robust vendor relationships, operational efficiency enhancements, and the streamlining of cloud application onboarding.

Education initiatives will be top priority for these agencies, equipping personnel with the necessary cloud technology skills to build and maintain cloud environments. With a broader understanding of cloud fundamentals, customers can understand where the technology can have the greatest ROI for their organization.

Strategic partnerships with cloud vendors will offer insights into service roadmaps, aligning cloud services with mission needs while also prioritizing security. These enhanced cloud capabilities will enable the automation of mission-critical tasks and improved data sharing, which is essential for connecting war fighters across service branches, industry partners and foreign mission partners.

Lastly, streamlining the onboarding of applications to the cloud will involve a combination of architectural planning, adherence to security standards, and the use of automated pipelines for deployment to facilitate agile and optimized use of cloud resources. Together, these steps will ensure that forces are well-prepared to meet the demands of joint operations and fast-paced response actions.

Zero Trust and DevSecOps are Key to Security

In the coming year, defense agencies will invest heavily in zero trust and DevSecOps to ensure security protocols are updated accordingly with the evolving technology. These strategies reduce threat vectors, identify vulnerabilities, and accelerate secure delivery of operational capabilities.

Zero trust integrations significantly reduce the attack surface, eliminating implicit trust and continuously validating each stage of digital interaction. DevSecOps, which integrates security practices within the DevOps process, plays the vital role of ensuring software development for military applications is secure from the start. By embedding security considerations early in the development lifecycle, DevSecOps can reduce vulnerabilities, enhance compliance with military security standards, and enable faster deployment of secure and resilient applications.

Combining these two security capabilities will allow military departments to deploy secure applications within a hardened environment, improving application resiliency and allowing military operations to maintain functionality amidst the evolving threat of cyber-attacks and accomplish their missions.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Fry is the general manager of Sev1Tech's space defense division providing overall technical leadership and direction for the business unit to ensure alignment with company strategy and goals.  Before this Michael served in multiple roles during his 7 years with Sev1Tech, including Chief Security Architect and Cyber Solutions Architect for commercial, federal, and DoD customers. Prior to joining Sev1Tech, Michael worked as a cyber engineer at multiple companies including Nordstrom, NDP, and on subcontracts to Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin assessing cyber compliance, conducting security operations, and security tool management.