Defense Secretary Speaks at Cybersecurity Summit

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper speaks on cybersecurity and infrastructure at the National Cybersecurity Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, September 19, 2019. The summit brings together critical stakeholders and experts to share information on current cybersecurity topics.

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Transcript

Good afternoon, how’s everybody doing? You guys are the diehards, huh? Staying ’till the end? All right. Good, good. Well, hey Matthew thank you for that kind introduction. I guess you disappeared behind the screen there. But thank you very much, I appreciate it. It is great to be here with all of you today to talk about the importance of cybersecurity, something that you all know very well. And to discuss what we’re doing in the Department of Defense to keep our nation safe. As our National Defense Strategy makes clear, we are in a renewed era of great power competition. Strategic competitors such as Russia and China are asserting their military power, and challenging the rules-based international order. While we are having success deterring conventional aggression against the United States, our adversaries are increasingly resorting to malign activity in less-traditional areas to undermine our security. There is perhaps no area where this is more true than in the cyber domain. Over the past decade, as cyberspace has expanded exponentially, our paradigm for war has changed. In fact, the lines between war and peace have now blurred. Today, we’re in a constant state of competition with our adversaries, and much of this competition is happening in cyberspace. For nations such as China and Russia and North Korea and Iran, engaging America and our allies below the threshold of armed conflict is a logical choice. You know, for over two hundred years, the United States Military has been fighting on land and on the sea. For over one hundred years, we’ve been fighting from the skies. And in those three domains, we remain dominant. But only in the past decade or so have we started to figure out what fighting in cyberspace looks like. Our adversaries see cyber warfare as a way to take on the United States and impose costs without confronting our traditional strengths. To do this, they are conducting long-term, strategically-focused campaigns to steal sensitive Defense Department information in an effort to undermine our military advantages. And they do all this while remaining in the gray zone. The gray zone to avoid direct confrontation with our superior military power. When successful, this coordinated, malicious cyber activity puts us at risk by eroding our capabilities and disrupting our ability to operate once conflict ensues. In response to this aggression, we are developing new tools to defend ourselves. Across the joint force, we are building resilience into our networks and systems so that we can continue to execute our mission even while under cyberattack. Training to operate in a degraded environment is now regularly built into our exercises, and our service members are quickly becoming aware of our cyber vulnerabilities. But to win on that battlefield, we need to do more than just play goal-line defense. As such, the Department’s 2018 Cyber Strategy articulates a proactive and assertive approach to defend forward of our own virtual boundaries. Just as we do on land, at sea, and in the air, we must posture our forces in cyberspace where we can most effectively accomplish our mission. Defending forward allows us to disrupt threats at the initial source before they reach our networks and our systems. To do this, we must be in position to continuously compete with the ongoing campaigns being waged against the United States. Not only does this protect us day-to-day, but enacting this strategy builds the readiness of our cyber warriors so they have the tools, the skills, the experience needed to succeed in conflict. The DOD’s interest in cyber is not only limited to military operations. More broadly, our adversaries are attempting to harm our economic prosperity, and to undermine our democratic institutions. Influence operations against the American public are now possible at a scope and scale never before imagined. The Department of Defense has an important role in defending the American people from this misinformation. Particularly as it pertains to preserving the integrity of our democratic elections. Our proactive strategy to defend forward was demonstrated with great effectiveness through our efforts to help secure the 2018 midterm elections. Our success was due to three important steps we took leading up to those elections. First, U.S. Cyber Command, in conjunction with the National Security Agency joined together to form an interagency group that shared information, expertise and resources to protect the elections from foreign interference. We also expanded our cooperation to the Department of Homeland Security and FBI, and we’re prepared to provide support directly if necessary. Our ability to work closely together was a direct result of the memorandum of understanding between DHS and DOD that was signed one year ago. Second, we developed our capabilities and increased our capacity to allow us to detect, locate, and exploit threats in the cyber domain, with the same focus and energy as we do in the physical domain. And third, the passage of NSPM-13 gave us the authorities needed to more fully employ our cyber capabilities in an offensive manner. This policy reflects a shared understanding across the government of the need to maximize the effectiveness of the Department’s cyber warriors. The 2018 elections served as a proof of principle. By working together, with our interagency partners in a whole-of-nation effort, we were able to counter adversary attempts to undermine our elections. Moving forward, I consider election security an enduring mission for the Department of Defense. Our adversaries will continue to target our democratic processes. This is a reality of the world we live in today. Guarding against these threats requires constant vigilance. We must remain adaptable and continue to advance our capabilities. This is already happening in preparation for the 2020 elections. By defending forward, we are able to see and understand the malicious cyber behavior, allowing us to publicly expose that activity and its culprits. It’s also posturing us to take action against these threats, at their source, before they reach the Homeland. The bottom line is, we are now prepared to deliver the actions expected from the Department in a timely, collaborative, and risk-informed manner. As has been the case throughout our history, the United States Military does not fight alone. Just like the other warfighting domains, our cyber capabilities are enhanced by a strong network of allies and partners. Our ability to share information and operate on common communications networks serves as a force multiplier, but it also comes with increased risk. To guard against this, we must help our allies develop their own cyber resiliency. One of the ways we are doing this is by encouraging them to maintain secure and reliable networks, particularly with respect to future telecommunications infrastructure. This is especially critical for countries with whom we have strong defense relationships. Two weeks ago I traveled to Europe, where I spoke with a couple of our NATO allies about the risks associated with allowing Chinese companies to develop 5G networks in their countries. The PRC is perpetrating the greatest intellectual property theft in human history. Every Chinese company has the potential to be an accomplice in Beijing’s state-sponsored campaign to steal technology. Nations that partner with Chinese firms put the security of their networks at risk. This not only jeopardizes military interoperability and intelligence sharing, but can also compromise commercial institutions such as banks, and hospitals, and media outlets. This is why it is so important that we work together from the very start to preserve the integrity of our cyber networks. I wanna close by talking about the most important component of our strategy, and that’s the people who make up our cyber workforce. Without a doubt, without a doubt, our people are the best in the world. But we are just beginning to tap in to the cyber expertise that exists throughout this country. Congress has helped us by giving us more flexible hiring authorities in last year’s NDAA, and we’re just starting to realize the potential that is out there. I look forward to watching our talent pool grow as more patriotic Americans decide that they want to apply their skills in the defense of our great nation. So thanks again for the opportunity to speak to you today, and for your efforts to advance our nation’s cyber capabilities. Given the gravity of the threats we face, the Department of Defense will continue to pursue our dominance in cyber, just as we have on the land, on the sea, and in the air. We’ve made great progress in recent years, but there is still much work to be done. I’m confident, however, that we are on the right track to stay ahead of our adversaries, and to protect the integrity of this great nation. Thank you all for your time today. (audience applauds) (upbeat music)

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