The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command announced in late July that it’s moving ahead with plans to create a fully operational, multi-organizational cyber campus at Redstone Arsenal to assist government agencies in battling emerging cyber threats.
The cyber security mission will be housed in two Redstone Arsenal buildings that the Army’s Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, or AMRDEC, acquired in January.
“The campus will support multiple levels of security enabling the cyber security team to uncover, dissect and report on system vulnerabilities to cyber exploits, malicious hardware, software or firmware, and interface with other government agencies at the highest classification levels, ” according to an AMRDEC statement. “Once operational, it is anticipated there will be representation from multiple cyber organizations across Redstone Arsenal and the Tennessee Valley.”
“The primary focus of the AMRDEC Cyber Campus will be to provide world-class cyber security support to aviation and missile system customers and to provide cutting-edge research and development of cyber security solutions to address their most pressing challenges, ” said Robert Goldsmith, AMRDEC cyber lead.
Alabama is home to a host of aerospace and defense companies, most notably Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Sikorsky.
More than 66, 000 square feet, the campus will serve as a technical resource for conducting vulnerability assessments from component level to joint system of systems, advanced integrity analysis, supply chain security evaluations, requirements analysis and analysis of cyber threat intelligence and security risks. It will include a full range of networks and multiple levels of security from unclassified to top secret, supporting full integration with the intelligence community and other key cyber agencies.
“Anyone developing a system today has to include cyber as a design consideration if they want to achieve positive acquisition outcomes, ” Goldsmith said. “AMRDEC provides more than research and development support for aviation and missile platforms. Our capability to analyze emerging and evolving threats to aviation and missile systems in the cyber domain is a significant asset for other organizations across Redstone Arsenal to leverage.”
The center is expected to be fully operational in 2017.
Text by Dave Helms
