New chief key to "Defense in Depth"

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/0122/web-osd-01-24-01.asp

BY Bill Murray
01/24/2001

Several challenges await a former National Security Agency
cryptologist who recently became the armed forces information
assurance director.

Robert Lentz last month replaced Dick Schaeffer, who returned to work
at NSA, said Susan Hansen, a Pentagon spokeswoman. Lentz now works for
Jeffrey Gaynor, the acting principal director for the deputy assistant
secretary of Defense for security and information operations.

Because DOD officials claim that rogue states with highly-trained
hackers who can take down power grids pose a viable threat, officials
such as Lentz and Gaynor are important to national security strategy.

Lentz is the Office of the Secretary of Defense representative to
national information assurance forums, and he also handles critical
infrastructure protection oversight and OSDs coordination with the
national defense infrastructure. Hes a key player in the armed
services implementation of its "Defense in Depth" strategy, which
calls for multiple layers of defenses to guard Defense Department
networks and electronic transmissions.

Three major programs are under Lentzs watch:

* DODs information assurance program.

* The Pentagons NSA-managed Public Key Infrastructure Program
  Management Office.

* The Army-managed Biometrics Management Office.

Information assurance and PKI are strongly connected in DOD. Armed
services officials view PKI as their chief means to ensure that
senders of electronic messages are who they say they are and that
messages are transmitted and received without being tampered.

The biometrics management office has a difficult task in trying to
translate cutting-edge technology such as sensors that can do retina
scans for tactical network identification into practical systems
deployable under reasonable budgets.

During his 25-year NSA career, Lentz has held the chief financial
officer position at the NSA Information Assurance Directorate, among
other posts.

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