Adversaries Increasingly Weaponizing Social Media

Image
Panelists speak at AUSA's Hot Topic on cyber and information operations.
Title
Adversaries Increasingly Weaponizing Social Media

Social media has made it easy for adversaries to target and influence the American people, a panel of experts said.

“The primary thing it did was it removed our borders,” said Lydia Snider, a foreign malign influence adviser for Army Cyber Command. “Until the advent of social media, we had the luxury of oceans on either side and allies above and below.”

Adversaries ‘Increasingly’ Targeting Troops Online

Image
Trainees check their cell phones
Title
Adversaries ‘Increasingly’ Targeting Troops Online

Foreign adversaries are targeting U.S. Army personnel on social media, job sites and gaming chats, the deputy Army chief of staff for intelligence, G-2, warned in a message to the force.

Issued in June, the All-Army Activities message, or ALARACT, warns that foreign adversaries are “increasingly” using social media and fake job offers to gain sensitive information from Army personnel and their families.

Panel: Rise in Information Complicates Future Fight

Image
Panel at AUSA Hot Topic
Title
Panel: Rise in Information Complicates Future Fight

The Army will need to take a proactive, integrated approach to signature management to maintain the information advantage, senior cyber officials said during a panel discussion July 2 at a Hot Topic event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

Information Warfare Needs ‘Whole-of-Society’ Approach

Image
James Rubin speaks at AUSA Hot Topic event
Title
Information Warfare Needs ‘Whole-of-Society’ Approach

The United States is struggling to outpace its global adversaries in the information domain, and a whole-of-society response is needed, the special envoy and coordinator of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center said July 2 at a Hot Topic event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army. 

DoD Ramps Up Efforts to Grow Cyber Workforce

Image
Soldiers work on the system that manages the Remote Access Drop Device placed on an unmanned aerial system and Spot, the robotic dog, during an Operational Readiness Assessment for the 11th Cyber Battalion
Title
DoD Ramps Up Efforts to Grow Cyber Workforce

Faced with growing and evolving cyberthreats, the Defense Department is trying several new programs to boost its cyber workforce, a senior official told lawmakers.

Paper: Cyber Warfare, AI Optimize Army’s Edge

Image
Soldier standing in field
Title
Paper: Cyber Warfare, AI Optimize Army’s Edge

The Army should integrate cyber warfare, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems to maintain the information advantage, according to the author of a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army.

AUSA Hosts Hot Topic on Cyber, Information Advantage

Image
Banner
Title
AUSA Hosts Hot Topic on Cyber, Information Advantage

Registration is open for an Association of the U.S. Army Hot Topic focused on cyber and information advantage.

Scheduled for July 2 at AUSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, the daylong Hot Topic will feature a keynote by James Rubin, special envoy and coordinator for the U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center.

Cyber Tools Changing Warfare

Image
Soldiers brief the capabilities of the SIPR/NIPR Access Point antenna
Title
Cyber Tools Changing Warfare

From increasing productivity to processing large amounts of data, artificial intelligence can change the way soldiers operate and fight, a panel of experts said during a forum hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

“How can we use these tools to make decisions faster and better?” said Maj. Gen. Matthew Easley, deputy principal information operations adviser in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. Enabling decision-making is the first pillar of information advantage, he said.

US Faces ‘Dynamic’ Threats to the Homeland

Image
Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, delivers the keynote at the Homeland Defense Seminar at AUSA 2023 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (Rod Lamkey for AUSA)
Title
US Faces ‘Dynamic’ Threats to the Homeland

From cyberattacks to increasingly severe weather, the U.S. faces growing homeland security challenges, the commander of U.S. Northern Command said.

Conditions around the world are “the most dynamic and challenging as I’ve seen,” Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck said.

Army Cyber Seeks to Build Modern Workforce

Image
Cyber professionals
Title
Army Cyber Seeks to Build Modern Workforce

As the Army works to build the force of 2030, its cyber corps is focused on finding new talent and supporting its people, an Army leader said. 

“The Army is making such an intentional focus on purposeful talent management of the workforce,” said Maria Ciepiela, chief of the Army’s Cyber Excepted Service Proponency Office. “It’s not just the weapon system that we put out onto the field, it’s the person behind it, the person that did all the logistics to get it everywhere.”