CHARLESTON, S.C. — Just as the American public played a vital role in the war effort during World War II, one Navy leader believes the only way the U.S. military will compete and win in the information war will be with the widespread support of everyday citizens and enterprises.

Erik Gardner, who became director of the Palmetto Tech Bridge (PTB) at Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic earlier this year, said the area of cybersecurity — widely held as a chief focus area by command leadership — must enlist support from all sectors of society, particularly the civil service.

“We may be public servants, but we are also warfighters in this technological domain,” he said. “We don’t wear a camouflage uniform and carry a rifle, but we wear a badge to come to work at a government lab, and we are the front line of defense when it comes to cyber and operating in the information environment.”

Like Gardner, many military leaders believe government civilians working in cyber are engaged in one of the most critical components of modern warfare. To keep pace with near-peer competitors, they say dynamic cross-team collaboration and private sector partnerships offer the most promising measures for hardening the nation’s cyber defenses.

Gardner’s sense of urgency is born of the same notions that more than three years ago motivated James “Hondo” Geurts, then-assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, to launch an “agility cell” called Naval Expeditions, or NavalX.

At its inception, NavalX sought “culture change” across the Department of the Navy. It established the concept of a “tech bridge” to forge a new way for the Navy to bridge the gap between innovators of emerging technologies off base and naval mission owners on base developing solutions for the warfighter.

Since then, tech bridges have stood up alongside Navy installations nationwide and around the world, including in Japan and London.

During the launch of a new tech bridge last month in eastern North Carolina, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro spoke of the critical continuing importance of tech bridges.

“It requires a strong partnership between industry and government for us to come together, understand each other’s challenges, and bring together the best ideas that we all have to offer for the benefit of the American taxpayer,” Del Toro said. “Ultimately, it’s all for the benefit of our Sailors and Marines to protect our nation.”

NIWC Atlantic’s PTB was among the first tech bridges launched in 2019. Its three main technical focus areas are cybersecurity, assured communications and data science.

To foster innovation in these areas, Gardner challenges NIWC Atlantic’s technologists to communicate their priorities to him for consideration, so he can map those requirements directly to academia, start-ups, non-profits and other nontraditional entities doing work in that space.

Greg Hays, NIWC Atlantic’s senior scientific technology manager for Rapid Prototyping and a major stakeholder in PTB’s work, pointed out that many technologies are not being developed within the Defense Department but rather in the commercial market space.

“Given the pace of technology, getting solutions that have been tested and driven by non-military markets can speed up development and adaption for military use while reducing overall lifecycle costs,” Hays said. “Dual-use technologies can help increase solution options outside of the traditional defense industry in markets that are largely commercially driven, privately developed and increasing at a pace greater than most places.”

To outline its geographic scope, the PTB draws a line from Raleigh-Durham’s Research Triangle to the north, Atlanta to the west and Jacksonville, Florida, to the south.

Connecting with innovators in that vast space requires NIWC Atlantic professionals to act as pioneers, building bridges to industry in overlooked places, said Peter C. Reddy, NIWC Atlantic executive director.

“We want the PTB to be like the main thoroughfare out of this building, past the gate and into our communities,” Reddy said. “As the network continues developing, a team can define a specific technology gap, hop on this super-connector called the PTB, and reach those outlying start-ups, non-profits, academia and even hubs in the public sector doing work in the same area.”

Regional collaboration can lead to “dual-use” technologies that enhance not only the region’s economic development but also broader U.S. interests, Gardner said.

At the national security level, Gardner said he believes the job of every member of the NIWC Atlantic workforce becomes crucial in the fight to win the information war, especially with the ever-growing threat of ransomware and other types of cyberattack.

“This is a new day in innovation,” he said. “I want to help inspire creativity, commitment and risk-taking, both at NIWC Atlantic and amongst our partners. I want my colleagues to understand they are warfighters, who need to think like warfighters.

“Our work is not for the faint of heart,” he concluded. “Our workforce is a big key to unlocking a real revolution in how we conduct business as an enterprise. And like it or not, we are on the front lines. If we are not accepting this role wholeheartedly and standing our watch, then our warfighters, whose lives are actually on the line, will come under attack, and it would mean we didn’t do our job.”

For more information about or to connect with the Palmetto Tech Bridge, visit https://www.niwcatlantic.navy.mil/palmetto-tech-bridge/

About NIWC Atlantic

As a part of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, NIWC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities.