US Army puts cybersecurity at the heart of transformation

Cybersecurity is a critical element of the US Army’s ongoing transformation and of wider national efforts to safeguard critical infrastructure, according to Brandon Pugh, Principal Cyber Adviser to the Secretary of the Army. Speaking at the Billington CyberSecurity Summit on 11 September, Pugh explained that the Army’s Continuous Transformation initiative is intended to deliver advanced technologies to soldiers more rapidly, ensuring readiness for operational environments where cybersecurity underpins every aspect of activity, from base operations to mobilisation.

Pugh took part in the panel where he emphasised that defending the homeland remains a central priority, with the Army directly affected by vulnerabilities in privately owned critical infrastructure such as energy and transport networks. He referred to research conducted by the Army Cyber Institute at the US Military Academy at West Point, which analyses how weaknesses in infrastructure could undermine the Army’s ability to project forces in times of crisis or conflict.

The other panellists agreed that maintaining strong basic cyber hygiene is essential. Josh Salmanson, Vice President for the Defence Cyber Practice at Leidos, underlined the importance of measures such as timely patching, reducing vulnerabilities, and eliminating shared passwords, all of which help to reduce noise in networks and strengthen responses to evolving threats.

The discussion also considered the growing application of AI in cyber operations. Col. Ivan Kalabashkin, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Security Services Cyber Division reported that Ukraine has faced more than 13,000 cyber incidents directed at government and critical infrastructure systems since the start of the full-scale war, noting that Russia has in recent months employed AI to scan for network vulnerabilities.

Pugh stated that the Army is actively examining how AI can be applied to enhance both defensive and potentially offensive cyber operations, pointing to significant ongoing work within Army Cyber Command and US Cyber Command.

Finally, Pugh highlighted the Army’s determination to accelerate the introduction of cyber capabilities, particularly from innovative companies offering specialist solutions. He stressed the importance of acquisition processes that enable soldiers to test new capabilities within weeks, in line with the Army’s broader drive to modernise how it procures, evaluates, and deploys technology.

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