This article recounts one Soldier's journey of innovation within the military and offers a way to better embed innovation within the ranks.

1. For those entrusted with defending the
nation against increasing cyberspace-
related threats while operating in a
fiscally constrained environment, the
need to innovate is clear. One way to
manage the inherent risk associated
with the imbalance between ends and
means is to embrace innovation.1
While many in the defense community
equate innovation with integrating
private sector technologies, a more
expansive understanding of the
concept can help us more fully tap
the most precious resource we have:
our people. When we understand
innovation to be more than just
invention, but also the adoption of a
new practice in a community, the need
to appropriately resource the entire
effort becomes apparent.2 Given the
potential liability associated with lack
of resource allocation oversight in
large organizations and the risk to
the mission posed by uncoordinated
changes, some degree of bureaucracy
will always be a necessary evil.
Below, I offer a brief discussion
about this approach to innovation,
but not before I provide some
insights from the past few years
of studying and doing innovation
within an organization notorious for
bureaucracy: the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD). Innovation happens
in spite of bureaucracy, and providing
some structure to support it will help
us to better realize opportunities,
decrease risk, and provide the
American taxpayer with a better
return on their substantial national
security investments.
BUREAUCRATIZING
INNOVATION TO
BETTER SECURE
CYBERSPACE
J. L. Billingsley
Advisory Board Member, Cyber Security Forum Initiative
Founder, Military Cyber Professionals Association
United States Cybersecurity Magazine52

2. provided me his framework for generating successful
innovation. At the heart of his approach are these eight
practices of successful innovators:5
I applied this guide to the MCPA concept, a journey
which formed the core of my NPS master’s thesis and laid
the foundation for a successful non-profit organization.
Whereas the Army 2020 project was an initial taste of
innovation mostly focused on inventing (according to
the above framework), getting the MCPA adopted in the
community has demanded years of perseverance.
The Innovation Structure
While the powerful mission and vision of the MCPA
continues to sustain my passion, it has not been without
considerable challenges. Even though I had near-universal
support for this effort as a student, once I rejoined an
operational Army unit with a regular day job, I found it
difficult to secure sufficient time, space, and other resources
to see the project through. Facing such challenges early
on, I began considering a wide range of potential solutions,
including looking at how other DoD organizations
approach innovation. Within the DoD, particularly among
the special operations and intelligence communities, I
found some inspiring examples of innovation structures
built specifically to unlock the creative potential of their
personnel.6 Informed by their work, I developed an initial
concept paper for operationalizing innovation within the
Army Cyber Command headquarters that was well aligned
with the Commander’s vocal support for innovation. The
main effort of the structure was to manage an incubation
process to harvest, vet, and resource innovations.
Strategic Redesign
My first formal foray into deliberate innovation in the DoD
happened soon after I arrived at the Naval Postgraduate
School (NPS), about an hour drive south of Silicon Valley.
While receiving a brief on NPS’s design thinking approach
to complex problem solving, inspired by the likes of IDEO
and the Stanford D School, the Chief of Staff of the Army
(CSA) became intrigued.3 He requested this approach be
used to compliment Army strategic planning with fresh
ideas from outside of the Beltway, specifically as input into
the Army’s part of the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).
The eclectic design team included the handful of fellow
Army Strategists (functional area 59 officers) on the campus,
visionary academics like Drs. John Arquilla and Nancy
Roberts, other military students, and civilians with a wide
range of experience, from nonprofits to Hollywood. After
months of work, we briefed General Odinero’s Strategic
Studies Group (SSG) in 2012.4 The vision we provided
for the Army of 2020 included a number of initiatives that
have since been implemented, including a career branch
focused on cyber warfare, the Soldier for Life program, and
building dynamic cyber-focused organizations by national
hubs of technology talent like New York’s Army Cyber
Institute and Silicon Valley’s DIUx.
The Association
Working on the design project convinced me of the need to
grow, support, and develop the coming American military
cyber workforce (and the K-12 students who will become
that workforce and/or the next generation of technology
entrepreneurs). Drawing on inspiration from various
sources, including other successful efforts like the Cyber
Security Forum Initiative, I developed the concept for a
military cyber professionals’ association (MCPA). Part of
this concept included encouraging our military personnel
to volunteer in support of computer science programs for
kids, ideally in partnership with something akin to a cyber-
focused Cub Scouts. Socializing this concept attracted
the attention of the Cebrowski Institute, which was in the
process of developing such a program. The Institute’s
Director, prolific computer scientist Dr. Peter Denning,
The main work of invention
The main work of adoption
The environment for the other practices
1. Sensing
2. Envisioning
3. Offering
4. Adopting
5. Sustaining
6. Executing
7. Leading
8. Embodying
Winter 2016 | www.uscybersecurity.net 53

3. Depending on the particular innovation, resources may
include time, space, coaching, capital, and political
support. The supporting efforts included increasing
the organization’s exposure to fresh ideas, mostly
via events featuring guest speakers and exchanges
with other organizations.7,8
Employing nemawashi, I began socializing the
concept with my immediate supervisors and
key personnel involved with innovation inside
the organization.9 At the 2014 ribbon-cutting
ceremony of the Army Cyber Institute, I had the
opportunity to informally pitch the concept to one
of the most senior leaders in my organization, who
recognized the potential value and invited me for a
follow-up conversation. In the subsequent meeting
he committed to take the concept to the Commander
for further consideration, leading to its eventual
enthusiastic adoption. We then began more specific
planning and integrating the effort into the organization’s
campaign plan. It is worth recounting this process, as I
have found that many misunderstand the elevator pitch
as some chance to seal a deal. Each successful instance
of the impromptu pitch that I am aware of brings
an opportunity to continue the discussion at a more
comfortable time and place.10
Shortly after these events, I spent my second opportunity
to present before the CSA’s SSG discussing this concept of
operationalized innovation, which nests neatly within the
years of strategic planning documents that have charged
Army leaders to be innovative. Since that 2014 brief,
we have seen the growth of innovation-focused efforts
throughout the Army. Soldiers, students, and scholars alike
need to know that there is a real thirst in the government
for innovative ideas, to not only solve identified problems,
but exploit the latent opportunities inherent in today’s
complex world. More than just thinking outside of the box,
you need to clearly and specifically articulate how your
concept provides an overall benefit to the mission of the
organization and then be prepared to lead in its successful
execution.
Considerations
Given limits on control, influence, resources, diversity
of perspective, and mission space, the kind of localized
innovation structure offered above may be optimally
scoped to brigade-sized organizations of a few thousand
personnel. With a growing number of personnel involved
SOLDIERS, STUDENTS,
AND SCHOLARS
ALIKE NEED TO KNOW
THAT THERE IS A
REAL THIRST IN THE
GOVERNMENT FOR
INNOVATIVE IDEAS
in explicitly innovation-related activities across the public
sector, the next logical step in this bureaucratization is
implementing an enterprise-wide training course.
Overall, these distributed innovation structures can
complement the traditional acquisition and decision-
making processes at higher echelons that are widely cited
as a challenge in the fast-paced world of cybersecurity.
In such a way, we create the potential to provide less
expensive bottom-up solutions and quicker resolution of
problems that may normally take years to identify and
solve. This approach benefits both our armed forces and
taxpayers, and leverages America’s competitive advantage:
creativity.
Resistance to this approach is expected for numerous
reasons. Some ardently believe that real innovation comes
from some spark of creativity, and adding structure will
only dampen the innovator’s passion. Romanticism aside,
innovators within large organizations face an uphill battle
where failure is likely, especially in the relatively dynamic
talent management environment in which American military
personnel many times find themselves. This approach
recognizes that innovators will emerge in unexpected ways,
and offers resourcing and passion to champion their ideas
United States Cybersecurity Magazine54

4. because, even with a support structure, such endeavors
may still require significant endurance.
Reminiscent of the rationale given by some who resisted the
adoption of the MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected
vehicle) in the earlier years of Operation Iraqi Freedom,
there will be those who insist that such a distributed
approach to innovation may negatively impact uniformity
and overall efficiency across the enterprise. Unfortunately,
it was years after I performed my duty of informing a fellow
Soldier’s spouse of her husband’s death from an improvised
explosive device (IED) that I witnessed MRAPs trickling in
to Iraq. Despite the long hours put in by some to realign
processes and funding streams, change was required.
Then, like now, we must realize that the threat environment
has evolved to exploit our weaknesses. We owe it to each
other to innovate urgently and aggressively in order to
meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Sources
1. Lykke, Arthur F., Jr. “Toward an Understanding of Military Strategy.” In U.S. Army
War College Guide to Strategy. 2001. Accessed December 15, 2015.
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ssi/00354.pdf.
2. Denning, Peter J., and Robert Dunham. The Innovator’s Way: Essential Practices for
Successful Innovation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2010.
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9TIspgTbLM
4. Stewart, Kenneth A. “Defense Analysis Professor Champions Design Thinking’s
Problem-Solving Potential.” Naval Postgraduate School. August 19, 2014.
http://www.nps.edu/About/News/Defense-Analysis-Professor-Champions-Design-
Thinkings-Problem-Solving-Potential.html.
5. Denning, Peter J., and Robert Dunham. The Innovator’s Way: Essential Practices for
Successful Innovation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2010.
6. www.dia.mil/Business/Innovation.aspx.
7. Roche, Bill. “Army Cyber Command Innovation Program Aims to Harvest Creativity,
Ideas.” ARMY.MIL, The Official Homepage of the United States Army. June 5,
2015. http://www.army.mil/article/149988/Army_Cyber_Command_Innovation_
program_aims_to_harvest_creativity__ideas/.
8. Jones-Bonbrest, Nancy, PEO C3T. “Army Hosts Cyberspace Industry and
Innovation Day.” ARMY.MIL, The Official Homepage of the United States Army.
June 3, 2015. http://www.army.mil/article/149793/Army_hosts_Cyberspace_Industry_
and_Innovation_Day/.
9. http://www.japanintercultural.com/en/news/default.aspx?newsid=234.
10. Denning, Peter J., and Nicholas Dew. “The Myth of the Elevator Pitch.”
Communications of the ACM Commun. ACM 55, no. 6 (2012): 38.
doi:10.1145/2184319.2184333.
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About the Author:
J. L. Billingsley serves on the advisory board of the Cyber Security Forum Initiative.
He is the founder of the Military Cyber Professionals Association, a Fellow at the
Center for Network Innovation and Experimentation, pursuing a Ph.D. in Information
Sciences at the Naval Postgraduate School, and an officer in the U.S. Army.
Winter 2016 | www.uscybersecurity.net 55