Fight the Base: Military Infrastructure Resilience Against Cyberattacks in a Contested Battlespace

About this episode

The episode discusses the evolving nature of military bases in the face of cyber threats and the importance of resilience and operational readiness.

Military bases are no longer guaranteed sanctuaries. As cyberattacks, drones, long-range missiles, and space-based threats expand the battlefield, U.S. installations must be treated as operational assets, not just support infrastructure. In this episode, Brian Stites, ETI Visiting Fellow and Chair of NDIA’s Cyber Warfare Division, speaks with Brig. Gen. Guy Walsh, USAF (Ret.), Executive Vice President and COO of National Defense Industrial Association, and Daryl Haegley, Technical Director for Control Systems Cyber Resiliency for the Department of the Air Force, about what it means to “fight the base.” The conversation examines how military infrastructure is moving beyond static compliance and audit reporting toward real-time resilience, operational readiness, and validated assessment under duress. The discussion also explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technology can help identify vulnerabilities, support resilience planning, and improve decision-making for installation commanders facing increasingly complex threats. Additionally, the episode highlights why vendors, operators, engineers, and cyber professionals must work together to maintain mission readiness…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Arun Seraphin

Guests: Brian Stites, Brig. Gen. Guy Walsh, Daryl Haegley

Topics covered

• military infrastructure
• cybersecurity
• operational readiness
• artificial intelligence
• resilience planning

Keywords

• cyberattacks
• military bases
• AI
• vulnerabilities
• mission readiness

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Defense Industrial Association, Department of the Air Force, Emerging Technologies Institute

Books & works: FIGHT THE BASE: UNIFIED CONSTRUCT FOR USAF INSTALLATIONS AS FORWARD OPERATING WEAPONS PLATFORMS

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