MCAF Fall Combat Development Dinner 2010

The Marine Corps Association Foundation, in conjunction with the Marine Corps Combat Development Command held the 5th Combat Development Dinner at the Clubs at Quantico on Wednesday, 20 October 2010.

Thematic in nature, the dinner serves a professional military education (PME) purpose and dwells on the subject of “Combat Development” as it’s persistent theme.  The guest speaker at this event was LtGen Robert E. Schmidle, Jr, USMC, currently serving as the first ever Deputy Commander of the new U.S. Cyber Command which is dedicated to countering threats to the security of our computer, communications and information technology systems.

Quantico Band Detachment serenading guests at no-host reception

LtGen Flynn, MajGen Edward G. Usher (MCA President and CEO) and LtGen Schmidle at no-host reception

MajGen Usher welcoming guests and making administrative remarks at beginning of dinner

Color Guard Ceremony

The PME aspects of the dinner began with LtGen George Flynn, Deputy Commandant, Combat Development and Integration, making some welcoming and administrative remarks and then introducing LtGen Schmidle.
LtGen Flynn advised that the dinner was the 5th iteration of the Combat Development Dinners since inception and that the purpose of the dinners – which are held several times each year – are to try to give the audience the issues of the day.  Pointing out that the guest speaker was going to address cybernetic issues, LtGen Flynn humorously quipped that he, personally was “Road kill on the information highway” and that “Rooster” Schmidle was a good man to have in his current position.  On a practical note Flynn pointed out that the cyber arena was somewhat like terrain in that it does need defending and that Schmidle, the first person in the position was a thinker, and doctoral student at Georgetown University and ideal for the task at hand even though, as an aviator, his landings did NOT match his takeoffs.

LtGen George Flynn introducing the guest speaker

LtGen Schmidle started his presentation with an anecdote about following LtGen Flynn as Mil Sec for Gen Jones when he was Commandant.  Asking for advice on how to approach the job, he was told in a serious but humorous way to get some sleep that weekend with the implication being that it would be his last opportunity while serving in that capacity. He then provided the audience with a brief on the new U.S. Cyber Command.

LtGen Schmidle presentation

Major highlights from the presentation follow:

Cyber Command is co-located with the National Security Administration (NSA)

Former Commandant General Al Gray was a key driving force behind U.S. cyber and cyber security efforts and was the “Godfather” of the NSA and still serves on an advisory board there.

The internet is increasingly more vital to society/government/commerce/military etc and is growing at an exponential rate with over 1.9 Billion current users.  Vital to defend it and keep it secure.

Cyberspace is a new kind of domain and we must learn to maneuver in it as we do on physical terrain and in the air and at sea.

The dangers in cyber space have increased in terms of aims and capabilities and we are now essentially in a third generation of threat that proceeded along a linear progression from Exploitation of systems to Disruption of systems but that now there are growing capabilities for Destruction of systems, as well as hardware, factories, physical plants and significant industrial end items now through destruction of computers that control them.

By way of examples, he pointed to Google and also Chinese exploitation of information and Russian disruption of information and military operations in their recent invasion of the Republic of Georgia by means of introducing disruptive “Malware” on a thumb drive to shut down critical systems when most needed.

Regarding destruction of systems LtGen Schmidle introduced the term “SCADA” systems which stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems which are increasingly in use in complicated industrial control systems.  He pointed out that interruption of SCADA systems can result in physical destruction of equipment, facilities and structures.

One of his Command’s missions is to foster design of systems to mitigate network vulnerability.

Cyber Command was activated on May 2009 with essentially three missions:

1. DOD Global Info Grid Ops control
2. Defensive Cyber Operations
3. Offensive Cyber Operation

He pointed out that the Combat Commanders (COCOMS) all have cyber support elements

Regarding the future and the training of effective staff, he said that it takes about 3 years to train a Cyber Warrior.

As an open ended and rhetorical issue he said that there was considerable discussion about at what level a cyber attack would constitute an act of war.

MajGen Usher presenting LtGen Schmidle with a memento of the event

Below are videos of the event:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

All photos by MCA staff photographer Ron Lunn.