GSN_HSA2017_Yearbook

The GSN 2017 Homeland Security Awards
and governmental IOT “landscape of sensors”
is becoming more exponential and
complex by the moment. Cybersecurity for
the connected IP enabled smart devices,
from phishing, malware, ransomware, and
denial of service attacks 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 multi-agency
task forces.
Although parameters and specifics of the
missions 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 speak-
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