Twenty Years Later Perspectives from an AFIT Graduate

1. Twenty Years LaterPerspectives from an AFIT Graduate Corey D. King, CISSP, CISM Southwest Research Institute

2. Agenda • Personal Background • Themes & Threads • Advantages of an AFIT Education • Example Application Areas • Critical Knowledge & Skills for Systems Engineers • Conclusion

3. Personal BackgroundMilitary • BS Aerospace Engineering, AF 2Lt, 1984 • 14FTW • pilot training • Lowry Technical Training Center • Undergraduate Space Training • 6MWS • Ground-based missile warning • 16SURS • Ground-based space surveillance and intelligence collection • Air Force Institute of Technology • MS Space Operations • HQ Air Force Space Command • Passive Space Surveillance System • Phillips Laboratory • Satellite Assessment Center

4. Personal BackgroundCivilian • Trident Data Systems • Technical individual contributor to Vice President • L-3 Network Security • Co-founder and Vice President, Americas • Symantec • Sales, marketing, business development, consulting, technical evangelism • Southwest Research Institute • Research and Development management/leadership

5. Themes &ThreadsFrom One Career • Technology changes and evolves • Today’s innovation is tomorrow’s doorstop • Knowledge of technologies is useful in the short term • Knowledge of fundamental principles is critical in the long term • Opportunities emerge unexpectedly • Fortune favors the prepared mind • “Flexibility is the key to air power”

6. Themes &ThreadsFrom One Career • “Systems Thinking” is an essential tool • A system is whatever you decide it is • Linked technologies • Operational processes • Teams of people with defined goals • Systems engineering applies in many contexts • Technical & non-technical • Budget-based & margin-based • Government & commercial industry • Fundamental principles + systems thinking = success • “F = ma, and you can’t push on a rope”

7. Advantages From An AFIT Education • Solid grounding/refresh in the fundamentals • Mathematics, physics, quantitative methods, scientific/engineering principles, system engineering processes… • Provides tools in the toolkit, but also provides a structured way of thinking and an appreciation for methodology • Multidisciplinary study • No real-world problem stands alone • Practice in choosing the right tools at the right time • “I’ve got a hammer; that must be a nail” • Experience in integrating diverse disciplines

8. Advantages From An AFIT Education • Relevant challenge problems and access to users • Elicitation of requirements, definition/validation of use cases, vetting of concepts by operators • Helps avoid the “ivory tower syndrome” • Practical application during thesis research • Not just an exercise for a grade • Helping to equip the warfighter, push the boundaries of knowledge, innovate • “Practicing the art of the possible”

9. Example Application Areas • Cyber-physical systems • Electric smart grid and smart critical infrastructure systems • Network-connected SCADA systems • Kinetic/non-kinetic effects integration • Information systems-of-systems • The intelligence analysis problem – finding a needle in a stack of needles • Situational awareness in an information war • Info-war battle damage assessment • Meta-management of info systems • Managing the management system • Standards development, validation, conformance • Performance metrics, testing,

10. SwRI ExampleiNET Program • iNET: integrated Network-Enhanced Telemetry • Multi-force program to support all DoD test ranges • Developing net-centric standard architecture for military Test & Evaluation (T&E) • Extending the network from the ground to the flight test articles • SwRI role • Refining test article, vehicle network, and system management architectures • Meta-data modeling • Developing standards for test article, system management, and meta-data • Validating architecture and standards through simulation and lab experimentation Image credit: iNET Program

11. Advanced security testing Power analysis for key discovery Hardware attacks such as removing chip covers Developing vulnerability exploits SwRI ExampleSmart Grid Security • Security analysis of smart grid systems and communications • Reverse engineering • Penetration testing • Threat and risk assessment

12. Critical Knowledge & Skills for Systems Engineers • Practical information systems experience • Networking, info system integration, common tools and techniques • Reverse engineering and vulnerability assessment • For building resilient systems • Component and system failure modes • Exploit development • Requirements process knowledge • Elicitation and validation of user requirements • Development of derived requirements

13. Critical Knowledge & Skills for Systems Engineers • Test and evaluation knowledge • Unit, subsystem, system, acceptance testing methodologies • Requirements traceability and test plan development • Experimental design (research-oriented) • Prototyping and rapid application development • Proof of concept development • System modeling (model-based techniques)

14. Critical Knowledge & Skills for Systems Engineers • Ability to learn new material and apply it rapidly • Knowledge is important, but… • “Learning how to learn” is essential • Project work, team problem solving, competitions and academic exercises • Speaking and writing • Communicate and advocate systems concepts • Clearly and effectively • Multiple levels of detail (elevator pitch to seminar) • Writing – write constantly, edit mercilessly • Speaking – practice at every opportunity: • prepared, extemporaneous, impromptu

15. Conclusions • Requires both science and art • Command of the technical • Comfort with the intuitive • Systems engineering happens everywhere • Systems engineering principles inform and support most activities • Science, engineering, business, military ops, leadership, management… • Good systems engineering creates resiliency • Secure • Reliable • Available