What the Demi-Gods at NSA have Gotten Wrong! Since the origins of the Republic, the American people have shown a strong speculative knack that lead to novel ideas for tackling tough problems. From the first American colonists who made do with limited resources, to NASA astronauts who boldly explored space with minimal supplies in order to break free of gravity, Americans have a proud history of advancing new and effective ways of getting the job done. However, the Internet,s rapid growth has meant that the tools for operating in cyberspace are constantly changing. In such a fluid environment, does America still have the capacity to gain the advantages necessary to out-hack those who attack us in the cyber domain? This talk analyzes what innovation really means and highlights differences between revolutionary, evolutionary, sustaining, and breakthrough innovations. Through this framework, we gain tremendous insights that help to progress how our nation can develop more effective tactics, techniques, and procedures for defending (as well as attacking) in the cyber domain.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Y. Wong is a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army who is serving as a Research Scientist at the Army Cyber Institute and an Assistant Professor with the Department of Systems Engineering at West Point. He graduated from the United States Military Academy with a B.S. in economics, and he holds a M.S. in management science and engineering from Stanford University, a M.A. in education from Stanford University, and a Master of Military Science from the Mubarak al-Abdullah Joint Command and Staff College in Kuwait. He had the opportunity to work as a NASA Summer Faculty Fellow and has served in overseas deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and the Republic of Korea. His research interests include revolutionary warfare, disruptive innovations, cyber resiliency, and the application of systems engineering tools for resolving complex real-world problems.

Recorded at BSides Philly 2017