Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers acknowledges he’s not the foremost expert on cybersecurity, but he knows plenty enough to know how big a challenge it is, both in the business world and in military circles.
As global cyberattacks escalate against military systems, energy grids, and autonomous technologies Rogers, the adjutant general for the Michigan National Guard, knows it’s of paramount importance to protect systems against bad actors.
“Cyber security is a big challenge, from our networks, all our administrative systems and our vehicle systems,” Rogers said. “We have ground vehicles alone with hundreds of millions of lines of code. You’re always at risk of having something introduced into that code that could be malicious.
“Being diligent, having great suppliers who are following al the best practices is critical to our success,” he added.
That’s what Rogers was doing at the National Defense Industrial Association Michigan Chapter’s 10th Annual Cyber-Physical Systems Security Summit at Oakland University. The summit, which organizers say is the only one of its kind in the United States, brought together some of the nation’s foremost defense strategists, military scientists, technology leaders, and business innovators to address existential threats to America’s critical infrastructure and battlefield systems.
It’s events like this summit, Rogers said, that are “critical to success.”
“The (summit) helps relationships start … and shares best practices,” he said. “This is critical, especially when you have the time to sit and you’re not in crisis … this is the hest way of building that resilience.”
The “one of a kind” nature of the conference is one of the things that makes it special, according to Jennifer Tisdale, NDIA board member and the event co-chair.
“There is no other conference dedicated to cyber physical systems within the military context,” Tisdale said. “The narrative … is about protecting our war fighters and national security for all things cyber. So things that we’ve seen topical in the last couple of years would be Russia, Ukraine, and attacks on critical infrastructure for power grids and things of that nature.
“We’ve seen a lot commercially and in our geography for automotive with connected, automated and one day autonomous systems or robotics, and all of those lines of code create opportunity for vulnerability,” she added. “So this conversation brings together the technical engineering expertise for mechanical and electrical engineers, software engineers, and cybersecurity professionals that are working towards a common goal, which is protecting national security.”
The summit gave automotive, aerospace, and robotics leaders a chance to connect directly with procurement officers from the Department of Defense, senior advisors from the United States Department of Energy and innovators from NASA, General Dynamics, Bosch, and other Prime Contractors.
“The Cyber-Physical Systems Security Summit is where the nation’s brightest minds come together to confront the most urgent security challenges of our time,” Tisdale said. “This is the place where tomorrow’s defense strategies are forged, and attendees can become part of the solution.”
Event co-chair Dr. Darius Mikulski, lead research scientist, United States Army DEVCOM GVSC, called the summit a “unique opportunity to bridge the gap between research, policy, and real-world defense operations.”
“The conversations and collaborations (during the summit) will shape the future of cybersecurity for our nation’s most critical systems,” Mikulski said.
