Future of fighting in cyberspace: What to expect at TechNet

Defense leaders know one thing to be true about the future of warfighting: it will become increasingly complicated as battles are waged in cyberspace.

That probability is what senior-level military, government and industry leaders will be discussing at this year’s flagship TechNet Cyber conference presented by the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International in Baltimore, Maryland.

This year’s theme of the three-day event beginning Tuesday is about “outpacing the threat,” and innovators in the defense technology space will discuss how their tools fit within the military’s goals to align their defenses with the nature of cyber warfare, adapt to rapidly changing environments, and accelerate ahead of global adversaries. All the topics du jour will be on the table, including artificial intelligence, large language models, contested logistics and data strategy.

Knowing future battles will transcend borders and go beyond just physical assaults on adversaries, experts in the U.S. government and industry know the tools of the future must be secure. Knowledge in itself will become an edge in battle. As nations like China seek to advance their use of artificial intelligence for military gain, so, too, are the U.S. and its allies working to understand and leverage this technology in defense of its infrastructure.

Attendees will hear from top officials from the Defense Information Systems Agency, the Defense Innovation Unit , the Joint Force Headquarters, federal chief information officers and chief technology officers, and the service’s cyber commands on the range of multidimensional threats facing their warfighters and the nation.

Registration for interested parties is open here. Here are a few highlights to note.

A keynote address kicks off the event on June 25, during which attendees will hear from Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh , commander of U.S. Cyber Command, and AFCEA President and retired Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence. The two will open the conversation on ensuring resiliency in the defense industrial base.

Other sessions that morning will highlight progress being made on the Defense Department’s sprint toward achieving “target level” zero trust by 2027 with insights from within the Pentagon’s information office itself.

Leaders from the Army will also discuss the role of generative AI and knowledge management in warfare, and several branch officials will come together to talk about the need for establishing an Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy.

The showroom floor will also be open to display the latest technology in cybersecurity from dozens of companies.

But the tools cannot be discussed without also identifying a workforce to use them. An afternoon session on Tuesday will offer a status update on the DoD Cyber Workforce Framework.

For highlights of the conference, follow along at c4isrnet.com .

Molly Weisner is a staff reporter for Federal Times where she covers labor, policy and contracting pertaining to the government workforce. She made previous stops at USA Today and McClatchy as a digital producer, and worked at The New York Times as a copy editor. Molly majored in journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

国防领导人深知未来战争的一个必然趋势：随着网络空间战争的兴起，战争将变得越来越复杂。

高级军事、政府和行业领导人将在今年由国际武装部队通信与电子协会在马里兰州巴尔的摩举办的旗舰级 TechNet Cyber​​ 会议上讨论这种可能性。

为期三天的活动将于周二开幕，今年的主题是“超越威胁”。国防技术领域的创新者将探讨他们的工具如何契合军方的目标，即如何使防御体系与网络战的本质相适应，如何适应快速变化的环境，以及如何超越全球对手。所有热门话题都将纳入讨论范围，包括人工智能、大型语言模型、对抗性后勤保障和数据战略。

鉴于未来的战争将超越国界，不再局限于对敌方的武力攻击，美国政府和业界的专家深知，未来的武器装备必须安全可靠。知识本身将成为战争中的关键优势。正如中国等国家致力于推进人工智能在军事领域的应用一样，美国及其盟友也在努力理解并利用这项技术来保护自身的基础设施。

与会者将听取国防信息系统局、国防创新部门、联合部队总部、联邦首席信息官和首席技术官以及各军种网络司令部的高级官员关于其作战人员和国家面临的多维威胁的汇报。

感兴趣的各方可在此处注册。以下是一些需要注意的要点。

6月25日，活动将以主题演讲拉开帷幕。届时，美国网络司令部司令、空军上将蒂莫西·豪格和美国联邦通信委员会（AFCEA）主席、退役中将苏珊·劳伦斯将发表讲话。他们将就如何确保国防工业基础的韧性展开讨论。

当天上午的其他会议将重点介绍国防部在 2027 年前实现“目标水平”零信任方面取得的进展，并分享来自五角大楼信息办公室内部的见解。

陆军领导人还将讨论生成式人工智能和知识管理在战争中的作用，几位军种官员将齐聚一堂，讨论设立国防部网络政策助理部长办公室的必要性。

展厅还将开放，展示数十家公司最新的网络安全技术。

但讨论这些工具，就不能不先确定使用这些工具的人员队伍。周二下午的会议将介绍国防部网络安全人员框架的最新进展。

有关会议的精彩内容，请关注 c4isrnet.com。

莫莉·韦斯纳是《联邦时报》的专职记者，主要报道与政府劳动力相关的劳工、政策和合同方面的新闻。她曾先后在《今日美国》和麦克拉奇报业集团担任数字内容制作人，并在《纽约时报》担任过文字编辑。莫莉毕业于北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校，主修新闻学。