Partnerships are critical to the Defense Department’s proactive cyber defense strategy, a senior official said yesterday.  

Army Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman, deputy director of U.S. Cyber Command, said DOD’s ability to synchronize across agencies and with a range of foreign partners provides the U.S. with an asymmetric advantage in defending against a range of adversaries.   

Hartman said Cybercom remains focused on aligning with geographic combatant commanders and government partners to support regional cybersecurity strategies.   

Cybercom has also maintained close ties with key foreign partners using small team deployments throughout the globe. The teams aim to carry out defense operations, and Hartman said the demand for these deployments continues to grow.   

“When you have smart young Americans that are working with a smart young foreign partner, nothing demonstrates more that the United States cares about cybersecurity,” Hartman said during a panel discussion at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit in Washington.  

The Cybercom deputy director added that the demand for these engagements will likely not dissipate soon, and DOD’s ability to leverage technology and partnerships to continue to scale global engagements will be critical.  

“Our adversaries have to know that we’re serious and that the ecosystem that they require in order to execute operations is not safe,” he said. “We’re going to work with allies and partners, and we’re going to do everything we can to get after them. We are most effective when we do that across the government and private industry.”

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