Northrop Grumman Becomes Newest Member of Space ISAC Founding Board
Bringing More than 60 Years of Space Mission Expertise to ISAC Board
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 9 NOV 2020 – Today, the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) and the National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) announced that Northrop Grumman has become the Space ISAC’s newest founding member. Northrop joins Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH), MITRE, SES, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN), Purdue University, the Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the Aerospace Corporation, and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs as a founding member. Rob Fleming, Vice President of Space Programs at Northrop Grumman, will serve on the Space ISAC board of directors.
The Space ISAC is the only space-dedicated ISAC and is made possible through the investment by its board and founding members. Northrop Grumman will contribute more than 60 years of deep mission expertise in providing innovative, reliable and agile space systems that enable a variety of customers to carry out their vital space missions.
The initial founders of Space ISAC serve as board members. Each board member has a role in fulfilling the mission of the ISAC: to facilitate collaboration across the global space industry to enhance our ability to prepare for and respond to vulnerabilities, incidents, and threats; to disseminate timely and actionable information among member firms; and to serve as the primary communications channel for the sector with respect to this information.
Frank Backes, Space ISAC Board of Directors Chair and Senior Vice President of Kratos Space Federal, said, “The Space ISAC board sees Northrop Grumman as a valuable and strategic addition to our leadership team. Their experience in government, commercial, and international space systems will enhance the ISACs ability to achieve our primary objective of protecting the national space critical infrastructure.”
From the launch pad to orbit, Northrop Grumman defines possible in space systems ranging from missile defense systems to cutting edge spacecraft, to launch and command and control systems for a broad range of customers. As a leader in the space industry, Northrop Grumman joined the Space ISAC as a founding member because the company recognizes the critical importance of effective cyber security for space-based assets.
Rob Fleming, Vice President of Space Programs at Northrop Grumman and Space ISAC Board Member, said, “In today’s rapidly evolving space domain, protecting our space assets through their full life cycles and the digital infrastructure used to support them is a national priority. At Northrop Grumman, we take these threats very seriously. We are using digital engineering, tools, modeling and simulations, from the design phase, all the way to in-orbit operations. We are proud to be a founding member of the Space ISAC and to collaborate and partner with our industry peers to ensure we are all doing our part to defend the highest domain, and keep our nation safe.”
BACKGROUND
ISACs are sector-specific, member-driven organizations established by the commercial sector with support from the federal government to collect, analyze, and disseminate cyber and physical security threats and risk mitigation information to critical infrastructure owners, operators, and members to increase resiliency.
The Space ISAC is the only space-dedicated ISAC and is made possible through the investment by its board and founding members. Its board is comprised of leaders in the space industry, cybersecurity sectors, academia, and FFRDCs, and includes Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH), MITRE, SES, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN), Purdue University, the Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the Aerospace Corporation, and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Each board member has a role in fulfilling the mission of the ISAC.
The need for a Space ISAC was conceived by the Science & Technology Partnership Forum in 2017 in response to recognized information sharing gaps within the cybersecurity and space community with the goal of enhancing the community’s ability to prepare for and respond to vulnerabilities, incidents, and threats; disseminate timely information; and serve as the primary communications channel for the sector with respect to this information. The Forum shared this vision at the 34th Space Symposium in April 2018. In September 2018, the White House published the White House’s National Cyber Strategy, which stated that “the Administration will enhance efforts to protect our space assets and support infrastructure from evolving cyber threats,” while working “with industry and international partners to strengthen the cyber resilience of existing and future space systems.”
The establishment of the Space ISAC was announced in April 2019 during a session at the 35th Space Symposium and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, co-located with the National Cybersecurity Center (NCC). NCC serves as the executive, operational, and administrative function of the Space ISAC.
To visit the brand-new Space ISAC website, please visit: www.s-isac.org.
FOUNDING MEMBERS
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.
Kratos develops and fields transformative, affordable technology, platforms and systems for United States National Security related customers, allies and commercial enterprises. Kratos is changing the way breakthrough technology for these industries are rapidly brought to market through proven commercial and venture capital backed approaches, including proactive research and streamlined development processes. Kratos specializes in unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare, microwave electronics, missile defense, hypersonic systems, training and combat systems, and next-generation turbojet and turbo-fan engine development. For more information go to www.KratosDefense.com.
About Booz Allen Hamilton
For more than 100 years, military, government, and business leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) to solve their most complex problems. As a consulting firm with experts in analytics, digital, engineering, and cyber, we help organizations transform. We are a key partner on some of the most innovative programs for governments worldwide and trusted by their most sensitive agencies. We work shoulder to shoulder with clients, using a mission-first approach to choose the right strategy and technology to help them realize their vision. With global headquarters in McLean, Virginia and more than 80 offices worldwide, our firm employs more than 27,100 people and had revenue of $7.5 billion for the 12 months ending March 31, 2020. To learn more, visit www.BoozAllen.com.
About MITRE
MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through public-private partnerships and the federally funded R&D centers we manage, we work across government to tackle challenges to the safety, security, and well-being of our nation. For more information about MITRE, please visit www.MITRE.org.
About SES
SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s video network carries over 8,300 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 367 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. For more information, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/cyber.
About Parsons
Parsons (NYSE: PSN) is a leading disruptive technology provider for the future of global defense, intelligence, and critical infrastructure, with capabilities across cybersecurity, missile defense, space, connected infrastructure, and smart cities. Please visit parsons.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook to learn how we’re making an impact.
About Purdue University
Purdue University, a top public research institution, offers higher education at its highest proven value. Committed to affordability, the university has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, all while offering degrees from top-10-ranked Colleges of Engineering, Agriculture, and Pharmacy. Purdue is ranked 17th for public universities by U.S. News and World Report and established the nation’s first Department of Computer Science in 1962. Its cybersecurity program is similarly groundbreaking and is currently ranked the No. 2 cyber school. With 24 alumni who became NASA astronauts, including the first and most recent person on the moon, Purdue is called the “Cradle of Astronauts.” Committed to pursuing scientific discoveries and engineered solutions, Purdue has streamlined pathways for faculty and student innovators who have a vision for engaging with the private sector and moving the world forward. Further information is available at: www.purdue.edu.
About the Space Dynamics Laboratory
The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) at Utah State University has been solving the technical challenges faced by the military, science community, and industry for six decades and supports NASA’s vision to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. As one of 14 University Affiliated Research Centers, SDL serves as a subject matter expert in its core research areas to the U.S. Government, ensuring that essential engineering and technology capabilities are maintained. SDL is a research laboratory headquartered in North Logan, UT, and has offices in Albuquerque, NM; Bedford, MA; Dayton, OH; Huntsville, AL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Stafford, VA; and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.sdl.usu.edu.
About Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
The Applied Physics Laboratory, a not-for-profit division of The Johns Hopkins University, meets critical national challenges through the innovative application of science and technology. For more information, visit www.jhuapl.edu.
About The Aerospace Corporation
The Aerospace Corporation is a national nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and development center and has approximately 4,000 employees. With major locations in El Segundo, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Colorado Springs, CO; and the Washington, DC region, Aerospace addresses complex problems across the space enterprise and other areas of national significance through agility, innovation, and objective technical leadership. For more information, visit www.aerospace.org. Follow us on Twitter: @AerospaceCorp.
About University of Colorado Colorado Springs
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) offers 52 bachelor’s, 24 master’s and eight doctoral degree programs. UCCS enrolls more than 12,000 students on campus. For more information, visit www.uccs.edu.
About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. To learn more visit www.northropgrumman.com.
About the National Cybersecurity Center
The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) is recognized as a leader in cybersecurity and serves as the executive, operational, and administrative arm of the Space ISAC. Locating the Space ISAC at the NCC allows Space ISAC members to have access to Colorado’s space and cybersecurity ecosystems within the commercial and defense sectors and the talents of the premier higher education institutions developing cybersecurity engineers. Together, NCC and the Space ISAC serve cyber influencers from the commercial sector, academia, government, and military and empower people to secure commercial, international, and military space communications from attacks on our global space assets. They are jointly building a research and development capability, cybersecurity training curriculum, and an analysis portal. With the addition of the Space ISAC, NCC is offering training on secure GPS and hosts a dialogue on the importance of international and commercial satellites on military communication at the annual Cyber Symposium. Visit www.cyber-center.org for more information.
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