THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’S NEW OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT: OT

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2018-12

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Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to outline how the Department of Defense (DoD), through Cyber Command, can holistically incorporate the cybersecurity of both DoD and non-DoD critical infrastructure into its cyber operations framework. The United States and the DoD rely on critical infrastructure for basic life support to both civilians and the Armed Forces members tasked with the defense of this nation. Critical infrastructure is made up of industrial controls systems that fall under the taxonomy of operational technology (OT). In the 2018 Cyber Strategy, the DoD has been charged with defending both DoD and non-DoD critical infrastructure in a more aggressive posture to “defend forward.” To do this, the DoD needs to incorporate cybersecurity of critical infrastructure into the DoD’s holistic cybersecurity plan. However, the DoD has yet to address who will assume this mission, and how it will be accomplished. This research seeks to answer these questions and the reasons leading up to the DoD’s sudden change in policy.

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Keywords

Operational Technology, DoD, Department of Defense, Cyber Command

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