JSAC 2025

On behalf of Palo Alto Networks and our Service Academy hosts, welcome to the official event page for the 2025 Joint Service Academy Cybersecurity Summit (JSAC).

Founded in 2015, JSAC's mission has remained consistent: strengthen industry and government collaboration to defend against current and future cyber threats by leveraging the unique communities of the service academies. Over its history, the JSAC program has had the privilege of featuring Cabinet Secretaries, Members of Congress, the Director of the National Security Agency/Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, and numerous Flag and General Officers from all branches of service.

We’re thrilled to head back to the site where JSAC all began and welcome you to the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY for JSAC 2025.

Agenda

Registration + Main Arrivals


Hosted Lunch


Keynotes + General Session


Welcome Reception

Attendees certify that by accepting food and beverages provided at this event that they have consulted and are in compliance with their own internal policies concerning the receipt of gratuitous items.

Breakfast


Keynotes + General Session


Grab & Go Lunch

Attendees certify that by accepting food and beverages provided at this event that they have consulted and are in compliance with their own internal policies concerning the receipt of gratuitous items

Speakers

Click on the speaker image to view their biography.

Lieutenant General Paul T. Stanton
Joint Force Headquarters – DOD Information Network Commander and Defense Information Systems Agency Director

Lieutenant General Paul T. Stanton

Joint Force Headquarters – DOD Information Network Commander and Defense Information Systems Agency Director

Army Lt. Gen. Paul T. Stanton is the commander of the Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network and director of the Defense Information Systems Agency.

As the DISA director, Stanton manages a global network of more than 20,000 service members, civilians and contractors who provide defense communications solutions to the president, Department of Defense, secretary of defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff and combatant commanders. DISA operates joint, interoperable command and control capabilities for the department, which support more than 200,000 warfighters in 150 countries.

As the JFHQ-DODIN commander, Stanton drives unified action across the DoD to secure, operate and defend the DoD Information Network. He leads the establishment of DoDIN priorities, directs threat-informed actions through formal planning and future operational initiatives and oversees the command and control of daily unified network operations, cyber security actions and defensive operations on the DoDIN.

Stanton previously served as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Eisenhower from June 2021 to July 2024. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1995 and commissioned into the infantry but later transitioned to the cyber branch in 2015.

Stanton served in several command, staff, and joint positions, including service as a platoon leader, 1-508th Infantry Airborne Battalion Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy; platoon leader, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry in Schweinfurt, Germany; commander, B Company, 1-502nd Infantry at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq; commander, U.S. Army Cyber Protection Brigade at Fort Gordon, Eisenhower, Georgia (formerly Fort Gordon); deputy director of Operations, U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland; and deputy commanding general (operations), U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Eisenhower.

Stanton holds three degrees in computer science: a bachelor's from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master's from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and a Senior Service College fellowship with the National Security Agency.

Vice Admiral Craig A. "Clap" Clapperton
Commander, Fleet Cyber Command / Navy Space Command

Vice Admiral Craig A. "Clap" Clapperton

Commander, Fleet Cyber Command / Navy Space Command

Vice Adm. Craig A. "Clap" Clapperton is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He was commissioned in 1989 and designated a naval flight officer in 1991. In 2008, he earned a Master of Arts in National Strategy and Security Studies from the Naval War College with highest distinction and was a member of the college’s elite Stockdale group. He is a distinguished graduate of the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command and completed nuclear power training in 2010. In August 2022, Clapperton assumed duties as commander, Fleet Cyber Command, Navy Space Command, U.S. 10th Fleet, and Joint Force Headquarters Cyber (Navy).

Clapperton completed operational flying tours in both the A-6E Intruder and EA-6B Prowler, and has amassed over 2,800 hours in the Intruder, Prowler and EA-18 G Growler. His squadron assignments include tours with the Attack Squadron 34 (VA-34) Blue Blasters, Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ-139) Cougars, and Wizards of VAQ-133.

Clapperton commanded the Shadowhawks of VAQ-141, the U.S. 6th Fleet and NATO command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), and Carrier Strike Group Twelve. Additionally, he served as executive officer aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). During his command tours, his ships and squadrons supported Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, and Inherent Resolve, and operated in the Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas and Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

During his tours ashore, Clapperton served as aide to Deputy Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; flag lieutenant to Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet/Commander Striking Fleet Atlantic; flight instructor, Prowler Fleet Replacement Squadron; on the staffs of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific; Deputy Director, Operations, J3, U. S. Cyber Command; and Commander, Joint Task Force Cyber 10th Fleet. Clapperton's awards include from each of his sea duty commands, the Battle E and Chief of Naval Operations Retention Excellence Awards. In September 2007, Clapperton was awarded the prestigious Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership.

Lieutenant General Ed Cardon (Retired)
USMA Cyber Chair, Army Cyber Institute

Lieutenant General Ed Cardon (Retired)

USMA Cyber Chair, Army Cyber Institute

Lieutenant General (Retired) Ed Cardon’s service to our Nation spans over 36 years with extensive experience establishing, leading, and transforming 14 very different organizations with diverse mission sets such as operations, education, cyber, and innovation. He commanded 2d Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea. He both transformed and scaled Army Cyber Command into a world-class cyber force, while simultaneously standing up new cyber organizations to meet the demands of this contested domain including US CYBERCOM’s Task Force ARES, the offensive cyber task force against ISIS. He spearheaded the creation of the Cyber Branch for the United States Army, the first new branch of the 21st Century. His last assignment was as the Director of Business Transformation for the Army, and he led the task force that helped create Army Futures Command responsible for modernizing the Army. Today, General Cardon is a founding partner and Co-CEO of Touchstone Futures, a Senior Counselor with The Cohen Group, Visiting Scholar, Vanderbilt Institute of National Security, and the senior Advisor for the Army Cyber Institute. He continues to focus on helping individuals and teams solve hard problems.

Colonel Justin "Jay" Shell
Project Manager, U.S. Army's Integrated Enterprise Network

Colonel Justin "Jay" Shell

Project Manager, U.S. Army's Integrated Enterprise Network

COL Jay Shell serves as the Project Manager for the Army’s Integrated Enterprise Network (IEN). PM IEN is, responsible for modernization and lifecycle management of the Army’s information technology network infrastructure. In this role he leads a team of more than 500 globally disbursed Acquisition professionals funded with more than $3 Billion to deliver network modernization worldwide. COL Shell served in other strategic assignments in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment as the Chief of Staff of the Defense Assisted Acquisition Cell, COVID-19 Ventilator Lead, Chief of Staff to the Chief Information Security Officer, and DoD Acquisition Cybersecurity Policy Coordinator where he coordinated the DoD’s support to the COVID-19 interagency response, helped restock Health and Human Services’ Strategic National Stockpile, expanded the nation’s domestic industrial base for key medical equipment, and wrote cybersecurity policy as part of the DoDI 5000 Acquisition reform.

Jay’s previous Acquisition Corps assignments include Product Manager for the Abrams Main Battle Tank program, with funding of over $9 Billion, where he oversaw the development, acquisition, fielding, and life cycle support of the Army’s Main Battle Tank, Executive Officer within Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition and Sustainment, and Assistant Product Manager for Heavy Tactical Vehicles at the Detroit Arsenal.

Jay’s operational assignments include Brigade Executive Officer and Company Tactical Officer for the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy, Company Commander, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry, Hohenfels, Germany, as well as other company-grade assignments in 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor, 10th Cavalry, and 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry.

COL Shell holds an undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy and masters degrees in National Resource Strategy, Business Administration, and Organizational Psychology from The Eisenhower School, The University of Phoenix, and Columbia University, respectively. Jay is married to the former Jenna Adams of Belton, Texas, who serves the Nation as a military spouse and a career Department of the Army Civilian. They reside in Alexandria, Va. with their two mixed-breed rescue pups, Lula and Betty.

John Garstka
Director, Cyber Warfare, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment

John Garstka

Director, Cyber Warfare, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment

John Garstka, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director for Cyber Warfare within the DASD for Platform and Weapon Portfolio Management, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

His current responsibilities include oversight of the development and acquisition of capabilities for cyberspace operations and implementation of DoD’s Strategic Cybersecurity Program, which focuses on cyber hardening the Department’s highest priority missions. As the Director for Cyber Warfare he pioneered the application of Cyber Resiliency assessments to help Combatant Commands understand cyber risks to critical missions and the application of Mission Focused Cyber Hardening to prioritize cyber mitigations.

Mr. Garstka began his career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. He was commissioned in 1983 after graduating as a Distinguished Graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a BS in Mathematics. He earned a Master of Science degree in Engineering from Stanford University in 1985 and served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force for 10 years and in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for 15 years.

He has an extensive background in systems engineering, mission analysis, cyber risk assessment, and capability development for space, communications, networking, and cyber capabilities. His experience includes material solution analysis for space surveillance systems, communications satellites, unmanned aerial systems communications, airborne networking, cyber ranges, and capabilities for cyber situational awareness. As an operations research analyst he conducted force structure analysis for the Air Force Officer Force and the Air Force Acquisition Workforce.

He has written and spoken extensively on the topics of network-centric warfare, warfighting innovation, and defense transformation.

Mr. Garstka is married to Diane and resides in Springfield, VA and is the proud parent of four children.

Dr. Phyllis Schneck (Moderator)
VP & Chief Information Security Officer - Northrop Grumman

Dr. Phyllis Schneck (Moderator)

VP & Chief Information Security Officer - Northrop Grumman

Dr. Phyllis Schneck is vice president and chief information security officer (CISO) for Northrop Grumman. In this role, she oversees the company’s global cybersecurity strategy and policies and is responsible for the digital security of the company’s products, services and infrastructures.

Schneck has 20 years of government and private-sector experience in senior cybersecurity positions. She joined Northrop Grumman in 2019 from Promontory, a division of IBM, where she led the firm’s cybersecurity practice as managing director and global leader of Cyber Solutions.

Prior to her tenure with Promontory, Schneck served as the deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity and communications for the Department of Homeland Security, where she led responses to cybersecurity threats against corporations, civilians and the government. During this time, she led the defensive cybersecurity operational mission to mitigate and respond to cyber threats across the federal civilian government and private sector. She supported the department’s mission of strengthening the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure, working with all areas of the department, government agencies, law enforcement and the private sector. Schneck led the transformation of signature technology applying analytics to the central cyber protection that the DHS provides to civilian agencies.

Schneck also served as chief technology officer for the global public sector at McAfee, where she was responsible for products and services used by governments to counter global cyber threats and maintain industrial and telecommunications security. She led the development of the firm’s crowdsourced real-time cyber threat intelligence and analytics used to protect critical infrastructure, played a key role in developing McAfee’s cybersecurity policy position, and on several occasions, testified before Congress on cybersecurity technology and policy.

Schneck was a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on Cybersecurity as part of the 44th President’s administration. She was chairman of the board of directors of the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance, a partnership between corporations, government and law enforcement for using cyber analysis to combat international cybercrime. Schneck was also vice chairman of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s advisory board on information security and privacy, and she served for eight years as national chairman of the board of directors of the FBI’s public-private InfraGard program. She has briefed and worked with several foreign governments to form partnerships with the U.S. for information sharing, infrastructure protection, and cybersecurity. Schneck holds several information-security and technology patents. Dr. Schneck is also a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Schneck earned her doctorate in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as both a master’s in computer science and a bachelor’s in computer science and mathematics from Johns Hopkins University. In 2020, Schneck was an Inductee into the Georgia Tech College of Computing Hall of Fame.

Northrop Grumman is a technology company, focused on global security and human discovery. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with capabilities they need to connect, advance and protect the U.S. and its allies. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our 90,000 employees define possible every day.

Damon Becknel
VP and Deputy CISO, Regulated Industries, Microsoft

Damon Becknel

VP and Deputy CISO, Regulated Industries, Microsoft

Damon Becknel is the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for Regulated Industries at Microsoft and provides security oversight and governance for Microsoft’s solutions for regulated industries, including healthcare and financial services and our legal department. He brings nearly a decade of experience as a CISO for multiple regulated companies to the Microsoft CISO organization. Prior to joining Microsoft, Damon served as the Chief Information Security Officer for ID.me where he oversaw all security matters, risk management, security compliance and collaborated to fight identity fraud with numerous external customers within the government and private sector. Additionally, he worked as the Chief Information Security Officer at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) after being promoted from the Director, Information Security Programs. In his former role, he was responsible for Security Risk Management, 3rd Party Risk Assessments, policy governance, coordinating security response for both internal and external audits, awareness, penetration testing, and security portfolio management. Prior to joining Horizon BCBSNJ, Mr. Becknel spent more than 20 years of active service in the United States Army. Career highlights for Mr. Becknel include leading all efforts to maintain and defend all U.S. Military networks in Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, directing all operations for the National Security Agency’s Hunt Division, creating and leading one of the first offensive cyber operations team for the United States Army, leading the Nation’s first military counter-cyber operations team to final operating capability and serving as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science for the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York.

​Damon graduated from the USMA in West Point, New York where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and earned his Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he also interned and conducted research with the Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI) Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Bruce Schneier
Fellow and Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School

Bruce Schneier

Fellow and Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School

Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a “security guru” by the Economist. He is the New York Times best-selling author of 14 books -- including A Hacker’s Mind -- as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter Crypto-Gram and blog Schneier on Security are read by over 250,000 people. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow, and an advisory board member of EPIC and VerifiedVoting.org. He is the Chief of Security Architecture at Inrupt, Inc.

Mark Nace
Deloitte Cyber & Strategic Risk Leader

Mark Nace

Deloitte Cyber & Strategic Risk Leader

Mark Nace is the Government & Public Services leader for the Cyber & Strategic Risk practice of Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory. In his current role, he leads the strategy and delivery of Deloitte's cyber and strategic risk solutions to federal, state, local government, and higher education institutions. Prior to his work in the consulting industry, Mark received his Bachelor of Science in Law from the United States Military Academy, was an Infantry Officer in the United States Army and held various leadership positions within Deloitte, including his role as Department of Defense Leader. On a personal note, Mark is married with four children and resides on a working farm in Northern Virginia.

Gary McAlum
Global Chief Information Security Officer, American International Group (AIG)

Gary McAlum

Global Chief Information Security Officer, American International Group (AIG)

Gary McAlum recently retired as the global CISO of American International Group (AIG), an American multinational finance and insurance corporation with operations in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. In that role, Gary led a team of over 700 employees and contractors responsible for developing, implementing, and operating an information security strategy to address AIG’s cyber risks across their international footprint. He was also responsible for interacting with multiple Boards, regulatory agencies, and external rating agencies.

In 2021, Gary retired from USAA, a financial services company focused on the military community, where he served as their Chief Security Officer for more than 11 years. In that role, he led a team of more than 1,000 personnel spanning Information Security, Privacy, Fraud Operations, Business Continuation, Physical Security Operations, and Corporate Investigations. While at USAA, he served a long tenure on the Board of the Internet Security Alliance (ISA) and contributed to several of their publications.

Prior to USAA, Gary served 25 years in the US Air Force, retiring as a Colonel. Throughout his military career, he worked in a variety of leadership and staff positions within the information technology and cyber career field, including cybersecurity operations, telecommunications, satellite communications, and mobile network operations. Gary had multiple deployments to the Middle East in support of military operations. Most notably, he was on the front line of DoD cyberspace operations, where he supported the establishment and evolution of the Joint Task Force Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO), the organization that was the focal point for the operation and security of DoD information systems and networks and a precursor organization to US Cyber Command.

Gary also serves as a faculty member with the Institute of Advanced Network Security (IANS).

Richard Hale
Global Chief Information Security Officer, Sony Group

Richard Hale

Global Chief Information Security Officer, Sony Group

Richard currently leads Sony’s global information security effort. For the 36 years before Sony, he held various cybersecurity jobs at the U. S. Naval Research Laboratory, the Defense Information Systems Agency, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, finishing as the Department of Defense CISO. While in the government, Richard helped develop some of the foundational cybersecurity approaches that have become global industry best practices. He has bachelor’s degrees in applied math and in electrical engineering, and a master’s degree in electrical engineering, all from the University of Virginia.

Travel and Hotel

Thayer Hotel
Seated on a hilltop in Upstate West Point, NY, with commanding views of the Hudson River and the United States Military Academy, The Historic Thayer Hotel at West Point has been a national treasure since opening in 1926. Visited by past U.S. Presidents, international leaders and celebrities alike, this hotel is like no other in the world. Thayer will be restricted to only JSAC attendees, so come and join a private stay with other attendees. Booking will be available through registration.

West Point Map

West Point Map


Airports
All times are to West Point Academy by car
JFK | 2 hours and 9 minutes
LGA | 1 hour and 24 minutes
EWR | 1 hour and 12 minutes
HPN | 53 minutes

On-site Transportation
Transportation while at the event will be up to the participant. Unlike JSAC 2023, no official programming will be on campus so if you wish to visit the base it will be up to you to get all appropriate visitor’s documents/approvals needed.

Getting to West Point
Car | You are welcome to arrive by car, but please note parking at The Thayer can be limited. Please let us know in registration if you are planning to arrive by car. If you are needing to book a private car, we recommend going through RMA.

Bus | Short Line Bus offers daily bus service from the New York City Port Authority, near Times Square in midtown Manhattan, to the West Point Visitors Center; one-way trip takes 1 hour 40 minutes and costs approx $15. Short Line also has day trip packages with sightseeing and local discounts.

Railway | Metro-North has rail service from Grand Central Station in mid-town Manhattan, up the east bank of the Hudson (West Point is located across the river on the west bank of the Hudson) . If you don’t have a car, get off at Peekskill where cabs are often waiting. You may want to call to reserve a Highland Falls or Peekskill cab. Driving time from Peekskill to West Point is approximately 20 minutes.

Rideshare | Rideshare heading to West Point from major cities are readily available but availability while at West Point is extremely limited and unreliable.

Weather
West Point, NY typical weather in April has highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s however, please visit the West Point Garrison Facebook Page for current road conditions and post access.

FAQ

Registration will open the end of January 2025.
JSAC 2025 is scheduled to take place at United States Military Academy (USMA) and The Thayer Hotel in West Point, NY
JSAC 2025 will take place from April 8-9, 2025.
JSAC 2025 is an invite only event. If you believe you should be able to attend and cannot register when registration opens please contact jsacyber@paloaltonetworks.com.
Yes, complimentary transportation will be provided to/from the USMA campus and area hotels throughout the programming dates. Further details will be shared closer to the event date. Valet parking and self-parking are available at The Thayer Hotel for overnight guests. Day guest parking is available for $15.00 per day per vehicle.
Yes, there are room blocks available at The Thayer Hotel and Holiday Inn Express West Point. Should you require hotel accommodations, we ask that you notate this in the program registration process.
No, JSAC 2025 will be 100% in-person.
  • April 8th | Lunch
  • April 8th | Dinner
  • April 9th | Breakfast
  • April 9th | Grab and Go Lunch
Attendees that are unable to accept food and beverages provided at the event will have the opportunity to make payment via the registration form. Additional details regarding meal pricing will be added here once selections have been finalized by the planning team.
Yes, transportation will be provided to JFK, LGA, HPN, and EWR after the event closes. Departure timing and details will be updated as we get closer to the event dates.
Recordings of previous year’s virtual conferences will be available on this site.