07 JUL 16
Information Paper
SUBJECT: Mad Scientist Conference: The 2050 Cyber Army
1. Purpose. To provide information on the upcoming Mad Scientist Conference to be held at USMA 13-14 September at Thayer Hall, with a specific focus on generating and employing the 2050 Cyber Army.
2. Facts.
a. Mad Scientist is a TRADOC G-2 initiative that enables continuous dialogue between Joint military, international partners, academia, policy institutions, and private sector organizations to help the Army explore the evolution of the Operational Environment (OE) through the year 2050. Mad Scientist also seeks to examine the effects of all aspects of technology on the far future of armed conflict.
b. Mad Scientist allows for continuously learning, adaptation, and innovation and allows for broad engagement in problem solving. Mad Scientist supports understanding the future OE and the underlying technology evolution to support the Campaign of Learning, 2025 Maneuvers, science and technology (S&T) investments, and capability development for the Army. Mad Scientist embraces open discourse, and embraces a desire for a clean slate approach to problem solving with no pre-conceptions, no attempts to justify programs or budgets.
c. For this specific event, Mad Scientist is the vehicle for visualizing the Army’s Cyber Force in 2050.
d. The Army Cyberspace Strategy for Unified Land Operations 2025 defines three primary missions for the Department of Defense in the cyberspace domain:
1) Defend DoD networks, systems, and information.
2) Defend U.S. and its interests against cyber-attacks of significant consequence.
3) Provide integrated cyber capabilities to support military operations, and contingency plans.
e. For the DoD Missions in cyberspace to be successful, the Army must have cyberspace operational forces, capabilities, facilities, and, partnerships that it can seamlessly and effectively utilize in support of regional, global, Joint, and Army operations.
1) This will require thinking about the unique cyber requirements for the Army. This underscores the need for long-term collaboration, partnerships, and looking inward to how future environment where skills will be at the forefront.
2) We are now more connected than ever. At present and in the future, possibly even more so, we will still need to build and maintain relationships.
f. The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and the Army Cyber Institute, USMA, will address three major objectives of the Army Cyberspace Strategy for Unified Land Operations 2025.
- What does the cyber environment look like in 2040-2050 (how will cyber influence the environment and the population? What will connecting look like / what will they connect to? What are the drivers influencing this or not)?
- How do we build an Army Cyber Force that can dominate the cyber domain in the context of the multi-domain battle concept to gain a position of relative advantage?
- How can we build shared goals and expectations as well as develop an understanding of roles and responsibilities in order to build and maintain partnerships with U.S., and international academia, industry, defense departments/ministries and other agencies to enhance cyberspace operations? What new ideas should we be considering?
g. If you cannot physically attend the conference, we invite you to join us remotely on the TRADOC Watch website at: http://www.tradoc.army.mil/watch/
h. Remote attendees will also be able to participate in the discussions via an online chat room and will be provided an opportunity to provide questions that will be proposed to conference speakers.
i. Please join the All Partners Access Network (APAN) to receive updates on the conference, to include list of speakers, agenda, and related information at: https://community.apan.org/wg/tradoc-g2/mad-scientist/
/ATIN-I/ (703) 545-1052
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