Senate subcommittee reviews DODIN defenses, zero‑trust rollout and workforce impacts

Senator Rounds, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, told witnesses Tuesday that ‘‘Your testimony on securing and defending the DODIN comes at a critical juncture for our nation's cybersecurity posture,’’ underlining the subcommittee’s focus on protecting the Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN).

The hearing concentrated on rapid deployment of zero‑trust capabilities — primarily DISA’s Thunderdome — metrics for measuring DODIN readiness, the effects of recent civilian workforce changes, and the expanding role of artificial intelligence in network defense. The committee signaled it will continue the discussion in a closed session and requested questions for the record from members who do not attend the classified portion.

Lieutenant General Stanton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and commander of Joint Force Headquarters, Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ DODIN), described Thunderdome as DISA’s implementation of zero‑trust and said it has already been assessed by a third party as meeting “all 132 of the 132 Department of Defense standards and activities for zero trust.” He said Thunderdome checks user identity and device security before granting access, and continuously…