Earlier this month, cybersecurity leaders from across the country convened at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for a triumphant return of the in-person Joint Service Academy Cybersecurity Summit (JSAC).
This year’s Summit welcomed over 200 attendees with an intentional mix of senior executives, military officers, and government officials alongside Cadets and other early career emerging leaders. Fostered over the last eight years, this year’s event highlighted the special and enduring nature of the JSAC community. Whether their current roles are within industry or uniform, almost all attendees are bound by a personal history of military or civil service, and they are now aligned in a common mission to improve the nation’s cyber resilience.
Founded in 2015 by Palo Alto Networks in partnership with the military service academies, the 2023 JSAC was the first in-person assembly of the group since the 2019 Summit at the U.S. Air Force Academy. It was a homecoming for an event that began at West Point eight years ago. This year’s event featured two days of keynotes and panels covering topics as diverse as cybersecurity defense strategy and operations, cybersecurity workforce development, legislative and regulatory policy, as well as national and state-level cyber risk management. Today, a selection of these sessions are now available for on-demand viewing on the JSAC website.
Day one of JSAC kicked off with welcome remarks from the Army Cyber Institute and Palo Alto Networks Chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora. This was followed by a wonderful keynote from NSA Director and U.S. CYBERCOM Commander General Paul M. Nakasone, called “A Call for Leadership in the Cyber Age.” Next, we heard from newly appointed House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green on Congressional cybersecurity priorities. Afterward, there was a panel featuring an impressive collection of the Pentagon’s cyber leaders from the Departments of Defense, Navy, Air Force and Army.
General Nakasone opens the 2023 JSAC with his keynote, A Call for Leadership in the Cyber Age, with a welcome from Palo Alto Networks Chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora.
After a brief networking break, we heard a special video address from U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and a panel featuring senior industry leaders from Dell, Mastercard, Raytheon and Kenvue, from the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. The day closed with a fascinating discussion about federal and state roles for managing cyber risk, featuring Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha, New York Chief Security Officer Colin Ahern and New York City Chief Information Security Officer Kelly Moan.
Day two kicked off with a video address from U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke of New York. Next up was a star studded lineup of the Nation’s Cyber Commander, featuring generals and admirals from across the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy and joint commands.
Following a break, we heard a presentation from CIA Chief Information Security Officer Rich Baich on how modern cyber conflicts are increasingly affecting private industry, and an audience-favorite panel of emerging leaders representing the Cyber National Mission Force. The event concluded with a fireside chat on the newly released National Cybersecurity Strategy, again featuring Chris DeRusha in his role as Deputy National Cyber Director.
The Summit ended with perhaps the best news of the week – an announcement that the Joint Service Academy Cybersecurity Summit will officially return to West Point in Spring 2024. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back.
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