Lynn Speaks With Industry Leaders on Cybersecurity

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 15, 2011 – Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III is meeting with industry leaders here to discuss best practices in cyberdefense.

Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III, second from left, listens as Google representatives brief him on the process of cloud computing during a meeting in San Francisco, Feb. 14, 2011. Lynn met with industry leaders to discuss best practices in cyberdefense. Cloud computing is a term used for information that is hosted online, rather than on a personal computer. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Lynn will deliver the keynote speech, “Defending a New Domain: the Pentagon’s Cyber Strategy,” today at the RSA Conference for information security professionals.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Lynn will describe defense implications of cyber threats and the Defense Department’s strategy to counter them. He also will call on industry to develop new technologies to help in safeguarding the nation’s cyber domain, and will encourage greater government and industry partnership, Whitman added.

In addition, Lynn will meet with Intel and Google executives to foster those partnerships and expand DOD’s understanding of industry’s perspective on key issues, Whitman said.

Defense leaders have consistently stressed the importance of private industry to national cyberdefense, noting that unlike the sea, air, land and space domains, the cyber domain largely is owned and operated by private industry.

Lynn also has conferred with other nations’ officials, most recently traveling to Brussels, Belgium, in January to meet with NATO and European officials to discuss strengthening cybersecurity.

NATO declared its intention during the alliance’s November summit in Lisbon, Portugal, to develop and implement a cyber policy and implementation plan with real capabilities.

“Defending and protecting the cyber domain is an increasingly vital area of national security,” Whitman said.