7 6 Leveraging this network would allow the DoD to build an application aware VPN to link its locations and efficiently transport voice, data and video over a single connection. And in the cases where even more security is required, AT&T is the only approved provider of the NSA Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) program. It’s inevitable that the DoD will increasingly look to commercial providers to help transform its network. It’s a natural part of what’s known as the Third Offset strategy, the quest to maintain a clear technological advantage over any potential adversary. For decades, American forces have possessed this advantage in every conflict. Today, the network is the platform that supports the projection of military capability around the world, and it needs to leverage proven commercial innovations to maintain that superiority. This model already exists for weapons systems. Would the DoD ever build a new fighter jet themselves, bypassing the major defense contractors? Of course not, and it should be the same when building the DoD network of the future. When the DoD is ready to transform its IT infrastructure, it needs to talk to the company that handles one-third of global internet traffic. Data traffic on the AT&T network has increased 250,000 percent since 2007, and the AT&T backbone network carries more than 186 petabytes of data traffic on an average business day. There are some signs this realization is taking hold. Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark Milley has shown a willingness to talk to industry about improving the Army’s flagship battlefield network, known as WIN-T. Gen. Milley himself has publicly stated that WIN-T currently is too “fragile and vulnerable” for potential conflicts against near-peer adversaries. In many ways, Leff’s career has tracked the evolution of the IT marketplace. With degrees in electrical engineering, mathematics, and applied Information Technology, he began his career working on C4ISR systems. Later he spent 14 years with a large system integrator, helping to build complex systems for the public sector. And now that the “Everything-as-a-Service” model has become ascendant in both the private and public sectors, he is leading the effort to put the most advanced network in the world to work for the DoD. “AT&T is a software company now. AT&T is in the midst of a massive reskilling effort, bringing its workforce along as we are moving into a world driven by things like artificial intelligence, machine learning and virtual reality,” said Leff. “The IoT is emerging, with 25 to 35 billion devices estimated to be online by 2020. The current DoD network isn’t ready and can no longer assure decisional advantage, as more senior officers are recognizing. Taking advantage of the global network we’ve built over the past decade on a NaaS basis is the best way to dramatically transform the DoD’s IT capabilities.” Leading the AT&T defense business is a demanding role, but Leff finds time for family, his flying passion and other pursuits, like martial arts. But today, the mission is improving the DoD’s IT posture. Leff and his team are focused on putting an American institution and a decade of technological investment and innovation at the disposal of the DoD. The security environment has changed, and the DoD needs to ensure that warfighters will always possess a network second to none. LEADING THE FUTURE “The DoD must innovate faster than the enemy in a challenging budgetary climate. That’s where we stand ready to help...” Mike Leff, Vice President, Defense // AT&T Public Sector