Episode 29 - Defending the Homeland: Cyberspace Operations and Critical Infrastructure

In this episode, we explore Chapter 5 of the Strategic Cyberspace Operations Guide, which delves into the complexities of defending the U.S. homeland from cyber threats. Cyberspace is a critical domain for national security, and the Department of Defense (DoD) plays a pivotal role in protecting the nation’s infrastructure alongside other federal agencies and private-sector partners.

Key topics include:

• The Department of Defense’s missions in homeland defense and its role in Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) during emergencies, working closely with DHS and other civil agencies.

• The importance of protecting the nation’s 16 critical infrastructure sectors, ranging from energy to communications, which are vital to national security, economic stability, and public health.

• The role of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) in national defense and how the DoD collaborates with private companies to secure key resources and mitigate cyber threats through information sharing and resilience efforts.

• How USCYBERCOM and other combatant commands coordinate and execute cyberspace operations to defend the homeland against sophisticated adversaries, and the challenges they face in maintaining command and control across diverse sectors and agencies.

• The concept of “defending forward” in cyberspace operations, which involves preemptive actions to stop cyber threats before they reach critical infrastructure, ensuring that potential attacks are detected and neutralized at the earliest stage.

• How the Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF) and other DoD cyber teams work with civilian agencies, including DHS and DOJ, to investigate, deter, and respond to cyberattacks on the nation’s critical infrastructure.

Join us as we examine how the U.S. military, government agencies, and private sector come together to protect the homeland from cyber threats and ensure the resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure.