Session Description

CROCS Technical Director Daryl Haegley will join senior cyber and mission leaders, including Dr. Wanda Jones-Heath, Brig. Gen. Jason Christman, Col. (Ret.) Adolph "Rocko" Rodriguez, and Ms. Charleen D. Laughlin, for a candid mainstage discussion on the operational technology (OT) risks currently confronting Department of the Air Force (DAF) installations.

Panel Members:

1. Daryl Haegley

• Title: Technical Director, DAF Cyber Resiliency Office for Control Systems (CROCS)

• Duties: Mr. Haegley serves as the first DoD Operational Technology (OT) Senior Executive focused on Air Force and Space Force OT cyber resilience. He oversees a critical infrastructure protection portfolio and provides technical leadership to ensure base control systems (power, water, HVAC) are defended against advanced cyber threats. 

   

2. Dr. Wanda Jones-Heath

• Title: Principal Cyber Advisor, Department of the Air Force (DAF)

• Duties: Dr. Jones-Heath is responsible for overseeing the cyber posture, strategy, and policy across the DAF. She advises the Secretary of the Air Force and other senior leaders on the strategic and operational use of cyber assets, ensuring that cyber policies align with national military strategies to achieve mission assurance. 

3. Brig. Gen. Jason Christman

• Title: Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber)

• Duties: Brig. Gen. Christman assists in organizing, training, and equipping cyber forces. His focus includes securing the cyber domain for Joint Force lethality and survivability, building digital resilience, and bolstering allied cyber defense capabilities. 

4. Adolph "Rocko" Rodriguez

• Title: Former DAF Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor / Current Director, Innovation Factory at SAIC

• Duties: Prior to joining the private sector, Col. (Ret.) Rodriguez served as the DAF Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor, where he advised senior leaders on cyber warfare and developed weapon system security strategies. He currently leads cross-functional teams developing cyber warfare mission solutions and addressing digital transformation challenges. 

5. Ms. Charleen D. Laughlin

• Title: Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Cyber and Data (SF/S6), United States Space Force
• Duties: Ms. Laughlin provides executive leadership for the Space Force across all functional areas of cybersecurity, IT, data, and artificial intelligence. She is responsible for the strategy, policy, and guidance needed to employ cyberspace forces and drive the digital transformation of the Space Force.

The next cyber fight will not be confined to traditional IT networks and endpoints; it will target the operational technology and control systems that keep DAF installations mission-ready. Systems governing power, water, fuel, HVAC, and facility operations are what actively enable aircraft generation, command operations, and daily force projection. As the Intelligence Community’s 2026 Annual Threat Assessment warns, foreign cyber actors continue to target U.S. critical infrastructure to collect intelligence and create options for future disruption.

For the DAF, this threat is not theoretical. Operational technology is no longer mere background infrastructure; it is critical mission terrain. Adversaries recognize this, and nation-state actors have already demonstrated the intent and capability to pre-position themselves across U.S. infrastructure. Consequently, some of the most mission-essential systems at the tactical edge remain among the least visible and most vulnerable parts of the enterprise.

Policy language alone cannot close this gap. Recent directives from the Secretary of War have placed renewed emphasis on a warfighting focus, urgency of execution, and cyber resilience within a mission context. In response, the DAF established the Cyber Resiliency Office for Control Systems (CROCS) in 2024, the first office of its kind in any military service, to bring centralized focus, authority, and operational urgency to OT cyber defense. Working directly with the 16th Air Force, the Principal Cyber Advisor, CCMDs/MAJCOMs/FIELDCOMs, SAF/CN, SAF/CNZ, CROWS, AFCEC & Base Civil Engineers/Security Forces/Depots/Logisticians/Comms Squadrons, HAF Directorates A3, A4, A5, A6, S3, S6, and PEOs, CROCS is identifying tangible risks, prioritizing mitigations, and building a workforce capable of defending the systems our installations depend on daily.

This mainstage panel convenes the leaders, operators, and decision-makers responsible for translating national threat warnings and Department-level directives into measurable mission protection. Building on last year’s DAFITC presentation by Lt. Gen. Hensley, which brought OT cyber threats to the main stage, this session moves the conversation from awareness to action.

As FY27 cyber provisions transition from authorization to implementation, the central question is no longer whether OT cyber defense warrants investment. Instead, it is whether the DAF is solving the right problems, at the right echelon, and with sufficient speed to reduce operational risk. Panelists will examine the current state of DAF OT exposure at the tactical edge; assess the alignment of workforce, governance, processes, and technology; discuss the requirements for building a credible OT cyber talent pipeline; and highlight which FY27 implementation decisions demand immediate senior command attention.

Attendees will leave with more than a threat briefing. They will gain a candid, operationally grounded understanding of the OT cyber gap, the institutional response currently underway, and concrete actions commands can take to strengthen resiliency before an adversary turns installation infrastructure into a mission-critical liability.

Keywords

Operational Technology Cybersecurity, Facility-Related Control Systems, OT Zero Trust, Cyber Resiliency, Tactical Edge Security, DAF Installation Defense, OT Cyber Workforce

Promotional Abstract

According to the Intelligence Community's 2026 Annual Threat Assessment, foreign cyber actors are actively targeting U.S. critical infrastructure to enable future disruptions. For the DAF, this warning is immediate at the tactical edge, where control systems governing power, water, fuel, HVAC, and aircraft generation remain fundamentally essential to mission readiness. Convened by CROCS Technical Director Daryl Haegley, this mainstage panel features senior cyber and mission leaders examining how the DAF is shifting Defense Critical Infrastructure (DCI) cybersecurity from awareness to action. Panelists will highlight urgent risks, outline practical steps commands can take today, and discuss the FY27 implementation decisions required to prevent installation infrastructure from becoming a single point of failure.