ENHANCING DEFENSE NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTERS THROUGH THE USE OF PRIVATE SECTOR MONITORING TOOLS, APPLICATIONS, PROCESSES, AND PROCEDURES

Abstract

The effectiveness of a defense enterprise network can be directly related to that network’s consistent availability and resiliency against incidents resulting in the degradation of systems and services. The 2012 Department of Defense’s (DOD) Information Enterprise Architecture version 2.0 reinforced this concept by identifying that enterprise-wide access to network services and network optimization were two of the most vital aspects of an effective enterprise network. Additionally, the 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) identified the requirement to improve the resiliency of federal enterprise networks. The NSS recognized that the DOD must utilize the private sector’s latest applications and techniques to improve the DOD’s ability to provide uninterrupted secure network services. Lichtenthaler’s 2018 qualitative study in Journal of Strategy and Management concluded that many of the world’s most innovative companies resided in the United States. The DOD may stand to benefit by collaborating with U.S. private industry to identify network incident response tools, services, and operating procedures to accomplish the effective management, monitoring, and security of defense enterprise networks. The intellectual capacity of private industry must be leveraged through public and private cooperation to enhance the DOD’s ability to successfully respond to the multitude of adverse events that negatively impact defense enterprise networks.