Panelists Brainstorm to Buffer Against Supply Chain Threat

By Amaani Lyle

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – Defense Department and National Security Agency officials met with members of academia and industry today to discuss managing and protecting an ever-more-global, commercial and financially complex supply chain.

As National Cyber Security Awareness month approaches in October, panelists framed dialogue at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies to explore how its significant investment in cyberspace supports global missions.

Brett Lambert, deputy assistant secretary of defense for manufacturing and industrial base, and Dennis Bartko, special assistant for cyber at NSA, were part of the panel.

The defense industrial base, Lambert said, comprises a diverse set of companies that provide products and services directly and indirectly to the military and NSA.

He added that the industrial base is not a monolithic entity. Rather, it includes companies that run the gamut from major companies to garage start-ups.

While some companies deal directly with the federal government, Lambert said, the vast majority of suppliers, subcontractors and providers are in a value chain that leads to those private contractors, often 10 to 15 times removed.

“Some products and services are sold by companies in the defense industrial base that are truly unique to defense applications, he said, “but most have substantial levels of nondefense demand or even [are] sold exclusively on commercial terms.” Just as some suppliers may not realize their product is used in a military system, he added, DOD, in turn, may not realize it depends on a commercial component.

“For decades, the United States has commanded a decisive lead in the quality and quantity of the defense-related research and engineering conducted globally,” Lambert said. He also noted the critical role the U.S. defense industrial base supply chain plays in equipping the military with superior and “technically vibrant” capabilities.

“We rely on our industrial supply chain to develop, build and ultimately maintain the goods and services upon which our warfighters’ lives depend, as well as the lives of the citizens they defend,” Lambert said.

However, DOD and NSA are concerned about protecting the valuable information that’s contained within cyberspace, the experts said.

“Cyberspace is where our nation stores its treasure and its wealth -- our treasure being the intellectual property of our nation … and our wealth, not being so much the money that we print or the coins that we mint, but the bits and databases that actually represent that,” Bartko said.

The use of cyberspace, he added, has enhanced national security, economic competiveness, public safety and civil liberties, but challenges and threats remain and derive from various origins, tools and techniques.

Insider threats through cyber networks over remote access are one example of things that could jeopardize critical supply chains, Bartko said, and determining solutions requires a recognition and understanding of cyberspace’s main attribute: convergence.

Media such as video, telephone systems, text messaging and email were separate before the advent of smartphones, tablets and similar devices, Barkto noted.

“Cyberspace was created from separate elements that were converging over time increasingly [and] became [what] we call the Internet and … cyberspace,” he said, resulting in a need for integration in buffering supply chains. And continual change also is critical, as information contained in cyberspace exponentially increases, Bartko said.

“We know that cyberspace is not going to be the same tomorrow as it is today,” he said. “Our response needs to be highly agile.”

Defense Department Studies Families Mourning Service Members

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – The Defense Department’s Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is conducting the nation’s first large-scale study of the impact of a service member’s death on surviving family members.

The university’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, based in Bethesda, Md., received funding through DOD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to conduct the five-year study to fill a void in understanding the myriad ways families are affected by a service member’s death ranging from the emotional impact to loss of benefits, Dr. Stephen J. Cozza, director of the center’s child and family program and a principal investigator of the study, said today.

“This is an opportunity for recognizing that military service has certain unique challenges, certain strengths, certain risks or potential protective factors,” Cozza said in an American Forces Press Service interview. “So this is an important opportunity to really understand the experiences of surviving family members and by understanding, to inform future policies.”

In the first phase of the National Military Bereavement Study, the center is seeking about 3,000 participants through its website whose family member died while on active duty since 9/11, Cozza said, noting that several hundred participants already are lined up. One-third of those deaths have been combat-related, one-third have been from accidents, and a significant number have been from illnesses and suicide, he said. The study will include any causes of death, and participants may be spouses or ex-spouses, parents, siblings or children by birth, marriage or adoption.

Participants will be asked to fill out a questionnaire in the study’s first phase. Then, they will be asked if they and their families will participate in the second phase, which studies families, including children ages 6 to 18, with in-person interviews.

In the first phase, participants also will be asked if they are willing to provide a saliva sample to provide genetic information to help understand whether a genetic factor applies to risk and resilience, Cozza said.

“Most people after a death – adults or children – have clear and significant mourning,” he said. “Over time, most return to healthy functioning, even if they continue to harbor grief and sadness. … But there does seem to be some population of adults and children where there are more complicated courses of bereavement. … We want to understand the likely risk factors for that.”

The study will follow families over the course of two years to understand how bereavement changes over time, Cozza said, adding that investigation of families isn’t well-known in the civilian world either.

“No two people’s experiences are the same,” Cozza said. “We really want to give as broad a description of these surviving family members as possible in all these relationship categories.”

The center has several nonprofit partners with the study, including the National Military Family Association, the Military Child Education Coalition, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and others.

Behavioral researchers help Army combat suicides

By David Vergun

DoD Special Correspondent

The desire to "end intense emotional suffering" was among the top factors cited by Soldiers who had at some point attempted suicide, according to researchers from the University of Utah, who interviewed 132 active duty Soldiers Fort Carson, Colo.

While the preliminary findings are informative, they are not altogether unexpected and it is hard to draw conclusions from a relatively small sampling, said Bruce Shahbaz, the Army's special assistant to the director of Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention.

So what contributes to "intense emotional suffering?"

"The most reoccurring stressor we've found over the last several years is psychological pain related to a failed relationship," Shahbaz said. He explained that a failed relationship could include anything from marital problems or girlfriend/boyfriend issues, to the loss of a parent or an extremely close friend.

Other contributing factors encompass a range of behavioral health issues, he said, including depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.

To help combat these stressors the Wisconsin National Guard has internal programs such as "Strong Bonds," as well as subject matter experts such as Military Family Life Consultants (MFLCs) and a director of psychological health. The Wisconsin National Guard works with local VA Medical Centers and Vet Centers to provide overall support to service members who may find themselves experiencing overwhelming life stressors.

Frequency and duration of deployments have been widely discussed factors in recent years, but Shahbaz said the issue isn't that simple. He said that while deployments have been trending down in the last few years, suicides have been edging up.

Earlier this month, the Army announced that 147 Soldiers died by suicide in the first six months of the year, an average of one every 30 hours. This includes 89 active duty Soldiers, 36 Army National Guard Soldiers not on active duty and 22 Army Reserve Soldiers not on active duty. This is 12 higher than the Army had at the same point last year.

Shahbaz said researchers theorize that, "if you're constantly deployed, training or preparing for redeployment, you are in a 'zone' and you don't try to reintegrate with family and loved ones. But with longer dwell times, problems surface. The family says he's not acting the same, or perhaps a spouse has taken on responsibilities that the Soldier had previously been doing and conflict arises.

"So we cannot say an increase in suicides are 'caused' by deployment, but we can infer that many are 'deployment-related.' It's a subtle but important distinction."

Shahbaz said he thinks that if behavioral interventions had not been in place for the last three years, the rate of suicides would have been significantly higher.

"Unfortunately, we can only measure the number of suicides, not quantify how interventions may have prevented them," Shahbaz said. "We hear, almost daily, about a concerned noncommissioned officer leader who notices a change in a Soldier's behavior and takes action to help that Soldier. Great leaders can make a huge difference each and every day."

"We're taking a comprehensive approach," Shahbaz said. For example, "local law enforcement can point us to certain risk behaviors that could be precursors to suicide, driving at a high rate of speed or DUI for instance, and chaplains have organized retreats for couples having relationship problems and reserve units have financial classes for soldiers whose homes may be underwater and at risk for foreclosure. Pulling from across the Army is a way for us to get in front of the problem."

Shahbaz said there aren't any simple solutions to the suicide problem.

"Our efforts to promote health, reduce risk, and prevent suicides are continuous and relevant across the entire force," said Walter Morales, chief, Army Suicide Prevention Program. "They include programs that target and focus on prevention, resilience, intervention skills, access to behavioral health and many others that contribute to the overall fitness and discipline of our force."

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Morales said, will allow for maximum exposure of the resources the Army makes available to Soldiers to prevent suicides and to reinforce a cultural change in Army ranks.

"This cultural change would call for all of us to remain personally committed to providing available resources to support the overall fitness of our peers, battle buddies, co-workers, friends, and family members," Morales said.

The suicide study at Fort Carson is just a start.

Shahbaz said the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command have 26 different ongoing studies involving soldiers and veterans of the active and Reserve Component and their families worldwide.

"Each study is unique, examining different treatments, combinations of therapies and medicines, screenings, interventions, prevention measures and recovery plans," he said.

The largest of the studies underway is STARRS, the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service members. That study is conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health in partnership with the Army.

The five-year STARRS study, slated for completion next year, is touted as the largest military study of suicides ever. The study tracks soldiers from basic training through separation. Soldiers, all volunteers, participating in strict confidentiality, are categorized for resilience, biomarkers, background history and various risk factors with the goal of having a better understanding of the causes of suicides, Shahbaz said.

Col. George Glaze, director of the Health Promotion, Risk Reduction Task Force, said it is important to remove the stigma associated with those struggling with suicidal thoughts.

"A cultural change needs to take place," Glaze said. "It's natural for Soldiers to not want to admit they need help."

Glaze said all Soldiers - including officers, noncommissioned officers and below - need to get involved and look out for their fellow Soldiers.

"The sergeant major of the Army, or SMA, is leading the charge," Glaze said. "The SMA himself at one time needed assistance, asked for and got it and worked through the challenges."

Shahbaz emphasized that the most important message to get across to Soldiers, veterans and their families is that help is readily available and that confidentiality is guaranteed when calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free at 1-800-273-8255.

Shahbaz also said that the phone number is for anyone, but that professionals trained in helping service members and their families are on standby to assist. There is also a Military Crisis Line for those deployed or stationed overseas 1-800-273-8255.

Another important source of help, he said, is http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.

Carter Urges Stepped-up Progress on Cyber Defense

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – Even as the Defense Department increases investments in cyber capabilities, officials are working to reduce vulnerabilities in their own networks and in those of contractors who build sensitive defense systems, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said today.

Speaking at the Air Force Association’s Annual Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Maryland, Carter said DOD’s cyber concerns are threefold.

“Two of [these parts] we can get our hands on, including by managerial moves within the department, and a third … is harder to get our hands on,” the deputy secretary said.

The first is DOD’s defense of its own networks, he said, noting that task is “technically very challenging.”

It’s paramount that DOD maintains security and integrity across its cyber networks, Carter said, because “we depend on them … today in everything we do.”

The second part involves developing cyber weapons as weapons of war, he said, “doing the intelligence preparation of the battlefield for their employment and planning for their employment. Again, that’s something we can do within our own walls and are doing.”

The third part is protecting the nation at large from cyberattack, he added, a job that’s harder because DOD plays only a role in a larger cast.

The scope of DOD’s responsibility for domestic cyber defense extends to the dependence of DOD installations and bases on the U.S. cyber infrastructure, and on the use of DOD data and plans by contractors who build the department’s sensitive systems.

“First of all, other parts of the government have capabilities and responsibilities and we work with them. But the most important thing is that most of those networks are … owned and controlled by private entities who typically fail to invest, or underinvest, in their security,” the deputy secretary said.

“When we offer to assist them in protecting [the networks], we run up against barriers that we’re slowly trying to knock down and reason our way through,” he added.

Such barriers could include antitrust issues if the department provides information to a particular business, he said.

“Do we have to provide the same information to company B? Can company A provide information to company B or does that violate the antitrust laws?” Carter said. “Can company A provide information back to the United States or is that providing personal information to the government that is on their networks?”

He questioned whether DOD should require private industry to control and strengthen its cyber networks, or whether that would be considered excessive government regulation.

“These are all tough problems,” he said.

When it comes to dealing with issues of safeguarding the nation as a whole from cyberattack, “we’re working our way through all these issues, and my own view is [we’re doing it] way too slowly,” Carter said.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, which called for minimum cyber security performance standards for critical infrastructure that the U.S. government would help develop with private industry, fell short of passage during an Aug. 8 Senate vote.

“We were hoping for some legislative relief this summer that we didn’t get out of the Congress,” Carter said.

Meanwhile, he said, the Defense Department is considering making U.S. Cyber Command, an armed forces subunified command subordinate to U.S. Strategic Command and led by Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, a separate combatant command.

“We are looking at a separate Cyber Command … and that may be something to do in the future,” Carter said. “But that by itself is not by any means the whole of everything that we need to do in cyber.”