AIA Calls on DoD to Adopt Industry Cyber Standards to Secure Supply Chain; Eric Fanning Quoted

The Aerospace Industries Association has called on the Pentagon to implement the same standards that defense and aerospace companies currently use for cybersecurity to help reduce vulnerabilities in its supply chain, Fifth Domain reported Thursday.

"We’re not always seeking less regulation – I know you don’t hear that from industry every day, but [aerospace and defense] has benefited from smart government regulations, often developed with industry,” AIA CEO Eric Fanning told reporters Thursday during a media briefing on the trade group's 2019 agenda.

“We’re trying to get away from the traditional way of assurance, which is just labor intensive and doesn’t keep up with changing regulations, technology and threats," he added.

The trade association issued in December a list of security controls, which industry can use to assess its vulnerability to cyber attacks.

Fanning said the list could also guide the Department of Defense to reduce the need for “an additional layer of standards and requirements on top of what industry is doing.”