DEFx Atlanta: Cyber, DoD, and the 5th offset

Atlanta is a hub for innovation and technology in the southeast. Even more importantly, Atlanta is centrally located for many of the military installations that are home to the DoD's most elite and storied fighting forces: Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, Jacksonville, and Fort Gordon the home of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence.

Thanks to a working partnership with Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), DEF is partnering with Army Cyber Command to create a truly unique event that bridges the divide between cyber warriors, policy makers, and operators. From technical problems to talent management, the role of cyber capabilities across the Department of Defense has taken on new levels of significance within the last two years. DEFxAtlanta will bring to bear a cadre of cyber professionals to collectively address sets of technical challenges and policy matters for all the defense enterprise.

We want to inspire, connect, and empower the best minds to tackle problems from across the cyber spectrum. Our prototype? A 40-hour dual tracked event that tackles technical and non-technical problems in cybersecurity and technology.

Track 1 - Hackathon - Combine warfighters, cyber warriors, and subject matter experts into teams to identify, create, prototype, and pitch novel, low-cost computer-based solutions. Teams can take on the 2-3 scoped problem statements that DEF will define or they may create their own projects. It's going to be a high-energy blend of StartupWeekend and Hacking4Defense. Ready, set, go.

Track 2 - Conference - This track follows DEF’s proven model of combining short TED-style talks and a human-centered design sprint into a dynamic day-long event to develop resolutions to challenges facing the Defense Department in the cyber realm. We want to celebrate the emerging leaders and their novel, creative, and even contrarian ideas. Whether it's talent management, cloud computing, a Raspberry Pi signals intelligence device, or a tactical application for an Amazon Dash button, we want you to share your story. Submit your pitch.

Full Schedule

• Thursday night - Happy hour (Venue TBD)

• Friday: Dual tracked conference including breakfast, coffee, lunch, and dinner.

• Saturday: Morning pitches from working groups and hackathon teams.

Policy Issues to be Addressed (Tentative Topics)

• Talent Management - As cyber conflict becomes more and more prevalent and dangerous to our national security, our military must prepare itself for this type of conflict. Those persons who are already talented at computer operations and have the necessary skills for this type of conflict do not fit in the traditional Army personnel framework. Our task during our time in Atlanta is to invite stakeholders throughout this area to come together to create a model for managing talent for cyber conflict. We will bring together civilian researchers and thinkers, Army Cyber Warriors and other interested persons who have valuable experience in this arena to connect, share ideas, and build a usable framework to help address this important policy issue.

• Offensive Operations and Law of Cyber Conflict - What legal frameworks currently define or constrain cyber missions? In this new battlespace, the rules that were created for the ages of tanks and planes do not translate as simply. New policies must be crafted to keep pace with the fight.

• Incorporating DoD Initiatives at the Ground Level - Defense Innovation Unit - Experimental, Army Rapid Capabilities Office, Hack the Army, Code.mil, Army Software Solarium, the C5 Consortium. So many organizations, so many capabilities, but what is the “on-ramp” to the Soldier? 

• Visualizing Multi-Domain Battle - Can the Army “see” cyber actions when visualizing Multi-Domain Battle? Is visualizing cyber actions in Multi-Domain Battle necessary?