It took place this morning, at the Transmission Command in the presence of the Undersecretary of State for Defense, Hon. Angelo Tofalo and of the Army Chief of Staff, Army Corps General Salvatore Farina, the demonstration activity aimed at achieving the Full Operational Capability (FOC) of the Cyber Security Department (RSC).
Started the training course about a year ago with the Initial Operation Capability (IOC) and the inauguration of the Training Laboratory for Cyber Defense, the Cyber Security Department confirmed the cyber skills acquired and expressible.
The activity involved some future areas of use in the new cybernetic domain, while checking the excellent skills acquired by the RSC. As far as technologies are concerned, Information Technology (IT) capabilities have been demonstrated for the defense of IT Networks and C2 Systems, Operational Technology, for the protection of Critical Infrastructures and Platforms and Weapon Systems and Disruptive Technology, for the presentation of some of the emerging technologies that determine a disruptive impact on the Operational Environment and Information Environment (such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, etc.).
Also of particular interest was the illustration of methodologies such as the Information Collection, for the analysis of information research activities to support the respective cell and the Cyber Command Staff & Forensic Operations, for cyber activities to support the planning of operations. cyber military and traditional military operations, with effects in cyberspace.
Experimental activities have also been shown that involve the application of technological components capable of performing innovative and sophisticated functions, such as the exfiltration of information between isolated systems / closed computer networks (i.e. under Air Gapping conditions), or the use of computer devices that act directly on platforms or weapon systems ("Cyber-IED").
"Today I was pleasantly impressed to visit the Cyber Security Department, a unit of the Italian Army established in April 2019, which achieved 'Full Operational Capability'. By virtue of the delegation for the treatment of cybernetics, I continue to follow every single activity with commitment and interest within the Dicastery. Every single Armed Force, in harmony with the Defense General Staff, is continuing to carry out a specific and articulated work relentlessly concerning the treatment of the cybernetic domain of the Dicastery which today sees its polar star in the Command for Network Operations ", commented Undersecretary Tofalo on the sidelines of the activity.
During the visit, General Farina underlined how the high standards of dynamism and connection correspond to as many levels of vulnerability and inevitable security repercussions deriving from a new cyber threat, and how the attacks brought into the cybernetic domain can also have concrete effects on the plane. real, compromising both critical infrastructures and fundamental services for the daily life of citizens. For these reasons, the Army wanted to have its own highly specialized unit prepared in cyber security to defend its unclassified networks from any type of attack, and also to prevent, detect and combat any possible risk or hostile action towards networks. , systems and / or services of the Armed Force. Then, turning to the staff of the Cyber Security Department, he concluded - "I was proud to see that you have acquired skills of the highest professional value in a very short time, ensuring the protection and resilience of the Army's IT tools and contributing to the overall Cyber Defense capacity of the Defense and the Country."
It is no coincidence that this important event takes place a few days after the anniversary of the establishment of the Transmission Weapon. The birth of the Cyber Security Department is the demonstration of how transmissions, despite over 100 years of life, constitute a weapon in continuous evolution, constantly projected to the future and always in accordance with the needs and projects of the Armed Force.
It was precisely in order to translate the peculiarities of the Transmission Weapon into an image that the symbol of the "two-faced GIANO" was chosen to create the membership badge on the leather pendant of the Cyber Security Department: we wanted to highlight it on the one hand, the propensity to look to the future, on the other, the gaze always turned to the past.
