Columbus, Ohio –
Cybersecurity, future requirements of land and sea forces as well as cost pricing were topics of discussion between senior leadership and industry heavyweights Aug. 30 inside the Columbus Convention Center.
Executives from industry titans such as Michelin, Rockwell Collins, SAIC, and Lockheed Martin were among 75 guests of DLA Land and Maritime’s acting commander, James McClaugherty, and Milton Lewis, acquisition executive.
The purpose of the session was to address current topics and set the stage for healthy dialogue between Land and Maritime leaders and suppliers. While all of the more than 450 attendees at the Land and Maritime Supplier Conference are counted on to safeguard the readiness of the military, the companies represented inside the room are critical to the organization’s overall success.
“Everybody’s here because they’re part of the fabric of ensuring warfighter support,” Lewis said. “We have topics and issues we wanted our experts to share with our industry partners. The key to this meeting is participation.”
At the forefront was cybersecurity. Linus Baker, cybersecurity chief for DLA, talked about getting the agency and industry on the same sheet of music when it comes to cybersecurity. Baker said while DLA has a robust capability within the agency of keeping people out of their systems and seeking out insider threats, he wants to encourage the private sector efforts to promote general awareness, education and training.
“Our adversaries are moving at a much faster pace than the government,” Baker said. “We’re not talking about creating a government mandate but rather protecting the supply chain. We’re only as good as you are.”
Baker discussed ways for collaboration, such as DLA including industry on specific cyber threats to the supply chain while in return industry gives DLA a better understanding of their individual company’s resiliency in dealing with cyber threats.
Soldiers and Sailors provided an overview of the Army and Navy’s current postures and where they see the forces heading into the next decade. After two long wars, a constant state of uncertainty around the globe and leaders looking for innovative strategies to keep trucks and boats operating, it’s imperative that Land and Maritime has parts on the shelf at all times ready when the phone rings.
Industry attendees suggested better ways to figure out the difficult process of forecasting needs. Using algorithms, past charts, and bringing in independent expert analysis were all ideas introduced for discussion.
“This dialogue is what this session is all about,” McClaugherty told the gathering. “We couldn’t do anything that we do without you. You are all part of our wingspan and making sure the warfighters sustain readiness at all times.”
McClaugherty said plans are in place to host another Captains of Industry conference next summer.