The Department of Navy on Tuesday released its inaugural Department of the Navy Cyber Strategy, which identifies seven distinct lines of effort to enhance the naval services’ cybersecurity posture and emphasizes cyber as a warfighting domain.
The strategy’s lines of effort include: to improve and support the cyber workforce; defend enterprise IT, data, and networks; secure Defense Critical Infrastructure and weapon systems; conduct and facilitate cyber operations; partner to secure the Defense Industrial Base; and foster cooperation and collaboration.
“This inaugural strategy builds on years of lessons learned from cyber domain operations across the globe,” Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said in a press release. “We are focused on aggressively enhancing our cyber enterprise, while fostering cooperation and collaboration with our allies and partners.”
The Navy’s cyber strategy was three years in the making, and was developed jointly by the Office of the Principal Cyber Advisor (PCA) – which was created in 2020 – and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO).
The strategy addresses enterprise cybersecurity, operational cyber defense, and offensive cyber operations – placing a strong emphasis on cyber as a warfighting domain.
It stresses the importance of embracing cyber and information warfare as “core competencies” for the naval services, noting that actions the department takes – or fails to take – directly impact its warfighting readiness and effectiveness.
The Navy’s cyber strategy aligns directly to the National Security Strategy, National Cybersecurity Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and the Department of Defense Cyber Strategy.
Del Toro said the PCA and CIO offices will identify governance forums to provide necessary oversight and help drive the strategy’s execution.
“Our strategy reaffirms our commitment to warfighting excellence within cyberspace,” said Chris Cleary, the Department of the Navy’s PCA. “We are prioritizing the defense of our cyber enterprise and data while conducting and facilitating cyber operations across the globe.”
“Achieving a competitive advantage in the cyber domain is critical to strengthening our maritime dominance,” added Jane Rathbun, the Department of the Navy’s CIO. “The Cyber Strategy sets the DON on a course to more effectively defend our Information Ecosystem and emphasizes the importance of our cyber workforce.”
