Government Security News 2016 Digital Yearbook

The GSN 2016 Homeland Security Awards
is becoming more of a priority with each passing
day. The breaches are already happening in
both the public and private sectors.
GSN: What are your thoughts on the incoming
Administration on homeland security issues?
I think that the appointment of General John
Kelly at DHS is an excellent one. He has the
integrity, dedication, and amazing leadership
skills need for the role of Secretary of Homeland
Security. He has always been admire by
those who serve under him and I know he
will be well received by the law enforcement
community. I like the fact that he has stressed
cybersecurity and protecting the electric grid
during his confirmation hearings. Also, the appointments
of Tom Bossert as Homeland Security
Advisor and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani
to bring in expertise from the private sector on
cyber tech and applications bodes well.
In terms of across government mitigation efforts,
cybersecurity continues to be a lead focus
in the Department of Homeland Security’s
(DHS) growing role as the leading civilian agency
for protecting government agency networks
and in coordinating and collaborating with the
private sector. The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) is likely to continue to expand
that role in the new Administration.
Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, President Trump’s
choice for national security adviser, is seasoned
with a strong expertise on national security
threats. On the Department of Defense (DOD)
Community side, General James Mattis, who
brings 41-years of Marine Corps experience,
is another excellent appointment. He simply
gets things done and he will provide exceptional
leadership and resources, especially for
the warfighter. I also like the appointments of
Retired Senator Dan Coats of Indiana as Director
of National Intelligence, and Congressman
Mike Pompeo as Director of the CIA. Both are
respected by their colleagues and have deep
legislative oversight experience on national
security issues. They bring the necessary leadership
qualities to meet geopolitical challenges
that require sharing of information, threat intelligence,
technologies, and working with multiagency
task forces.
Although parameters and specifics of the mis-
sions at DOD and in the Intelligence communities
differ from DHS, there still needs to be a
collaborative effort for protecting the homeland
domestically and abroad, especially with
cybersecurity. I think that the new Administration
has assembled a very strong and capable
security leadership team.
GSN: Can you update us on your social media
and thought leadership activities?
Yes, last year I was selected by LinkedIn as
“One of the Top 5 People to Follow On LinkedIn”
by LinkedIn (I was named #2). I now
have around 32,000 first degree followers on
LinkedIn and manage or own 12 LI groups
(mostly dealing with tech and security issues). I
am also active on Twitter nearing 4,500 followers
(please follow me @ChuckDBrooks) and
on Facebook. As you all know, social media
has become part of the digital fabric of how we
communicate, operate, and conduct business
in and out of government.
In the recent months I have published over 100
articles blogs. My topic areas have included
homeland security, cyber security, defense,
CBRNE, IT, R & D, science & technology,
public/private partnerships, IoT, innovation.
In addition to Government Security News, I
have been published in FORBES, Huffington
Post, InformationWeek, MIT Sloan Blog, Computerworld,
Federal Times, NextGov, Cygnus
Security Media, Homeland Security Today,
The Hill, Biometric Update, CIO Water Cooler,
Government Executive, Bizcatalyst360, Brink,
IT Security Planet, Christian Science Monitor,
and others.
I have also been very active on the speaking
circuit at a variety of conferences and events
at Universities and forums over the past year.
A couple of highlight; a few months back I
presented at a workshop sponsored by The
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,
and Medicine and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation on Securing Life Sciences Data.
I also spoke at George Washington University
event about the Cyber Threat Spectrum along
with co-panelists John Perren, former Assistant
Director, FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction
Directorate, and Lieutenant Colonel Scott
Applegate, Strategic Planner, J5, Cyber Policy
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