Rip Tide: A Narrative on Cyber Security Failures at the National Level

The United States, while possessing potent cyber operational capabilities, increasingly is focused on intelligence gathering and offensive cyber operations. Defensive cyber operations and day-to-day operations of critical mission-enabling information technology are increasingly outsourced to a variety collection of vendors and their subordinate partners. As 2021 nears its conclusion, elements within the US Department of Defense are advocating outsourcing the operations and maintenance of its foundational mission-enabling information technology systems and networks with an eye toward what they call a “single service provider.” In this allegorical story, the authors present an independent third-party discussion of the topic with an eye on answering the question, “What possibly could go wrong with that?” It is our hope that this discussion will educate and inform policy makers in both the executive and legislative branches to make the best-informed risk management decisions to preserve, protect, and defend our country.