The Director of the Joint Staff J6, Lt. Gen. Mary O'Brien, USAF, provided opening remarks at the Joint Staff J6-sponsored Security Interoperability in the Tactical Environment (SITE) Summit on Sept. 14, 2022.
The two-day event hosted at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Headquarters brought together stakeholders from across the Department of Defense (DoD), to include services, combatant commands, and agencies to identify opportunities and challenges to advance Zero Trust initiatives.
As part of the summit: the DoD Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office presented the Department's Zero Trust Strategy and Roadmap; DoD CIO presented its Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) understanding and governance; and DISA and the National Security Agency shared their efforts and perspectives on Zero Trust and ICAM.
Using the Department-wide DoD Zero Trust Strategy as it's foundation, the SITE Summit concentrated on identifying essential requirements for security interoperability at the tactical level. The Deputy Director of the Joint Staff J6 and Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) Cross Functional Team (CFT) Chair, Rear Adm. Susan BryerJoyner, stewarded discussions between Subject Matter Experts (SME) and senior leaders aimed at creating a shared understanding of the tactical environment and identifying a common set of technical requirements for access management.
A key effort to implement JADC2 is the development of a data-centric warfighting environment that facilitates secure information sharing and interoperability across systems, domains, services, and mission partners. Applying Zero Trust principles is necessary to protect data against unauthorized access and actions. Additionally, SMEs and senior leaders discussed the need to evaluate and revise DoD instructions, guidance, and policies to successfully implement Zero Trust at the tactical level.
The summit allowed representatives at every level, from the Joint Staff to combatant commands and services to share ideas, synchronize efforts, and establish a united way forward that centers on advancing Zero Trust and ICAM capabilities for the joint warfighter.
The Joint Staff J6, in conjunction with stakeholders, will continue to capitalize on forums like the SITE Summit to drive collaboration and advance a secure and reliable data-centric environment, enabled by interoperable systems across all domains, to enhance the joint force commander's ability to command and control assigned forces.
