Lt. Gen. Michael Groen: AI-Backed Cyber Defense Begins With Network Security

Lt. Gen. Michael Groen: AI-Backed Cyber Defense Begins With Network Security

Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said that artificial intelligence’s first cyber defense aspect begins with network security, DOD News reported Friday. 

The Department of Defense is shifting its mindset on networks and architecture because these play a significant role in warfighting and must be treated as weapons, Groen said at a cybersecurity summit. 

“We have to plan to protect them, make them resilient because everything that we're going to do in an artificial intelligence or data-driven way will depend on the security [of] those networks," he added.

JAIC is working with the U.S. Cyber Command on various efforts to apply AI in network protection—a mission that Groen expects to expand rapidly in the coming years. 

But to adopt AI integration in the military, he said the department will field through an “incremental approach” by using AI to address small-scale issues first and later on develop other AI-backed strategies to improve processes in the service. 

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Leidos’ Cindy Gruensfelder Accepts 2026 Wash100 Award From Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson

Leidos Defense Sector President Cindy Gruensfelder has received her first Wash100 Award, recognizing her leadership in advancing autonomous systems, integrated missile defense capabilities and other defense technologies in support of...

Precision Talent Solutions’ Jake Frazer Receives First Wash100 Award

Jake Frazer, president and co-founder of Precision Talent Solutions, has received the 2026 Wash100 Award, earning recognition for his growing influence on GovCon workforce strategy, executive recruiting and talent innovation...

Meet the 2026 Wash100 Winners Shaping Federal Cybersecurity (Part 1)

In 2026, the cyber domain is more contested than ever as adversaries deploy increasingly sophisticated attacks targeting the nation’s most critical systems. To combat evolving cyberthreats, the winners of this...