ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Portfolio Acquisition Executive - Trusted Innovation for Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), Robert Schadey, served as one of the keynote speakers during Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) Belvoir Industry Days, held in Alexandria, Va., May 5-7. During the conference, Schadey outlined five key ways Industry can partner with DCSA to be risk illuminators, enhance timely investigations and ensure a trusted workforce.
AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days brought together leaders from military, government, industry, and academia to discuss the future of defense acquisition, technology and security. As the Department of War (DoW) rapidly modernizes its acquisition structure and embraces the new Warfighting Acquisition System, the event provided a critical forum for industry to understand evolving priorities and how to accelerate capability delivery for the Warfighter.
Schadey’s keynote address focused on the pivotal role industry plays in DCSA’s transformation, emphasizing partnership, innovation and actionable intelligence. “You are at the heart of this national endeavor. You are the engine of innovation and DCSA exists for one primary reason: to enable your success,” Schadey said, underscoring the agency’s commitment to collaboration and support for industry partners.
Partnering on Innovation: The Path Forward
Schadey outlined five key areas where industry can partner with DCSA to drive innovation and strengthen national security:
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Joint Development of AI and Analytics Tools: DCSA is actively seeking industry partners to co-develop machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions. “We want rapid prototyping, updating analytics tools using real operational data,” Schadey explained. “In order to tap into that real operational data, it’s going to be important to have your cybersecurity-compliant tools and solutions. We want to create a pathway for tools to be tested, validated and potentially adopted at scale across the defense industrial base.” This approach enables faster identification of risks and more effective decision-making.
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Bi-Directional Threat Intelligence Sharing: DCSA is building a framework for genuine, two-way threat intelligence exchange. Schadey highlighted the importance of sharing both government and industry insights: “When we share data with you, you can act. But the reverse is equally true. When you share threat indicators with us, we can connect the dots that matter and provide that back to you, so you’re not just seeing it alone, or we’re not just seeing it alone.” This model, piloted with Lockheed Martin, aims to close gaps adversaries exploit by sharing cyber indicators, insider threat patterns and supply chain risks.
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User Experience and Workflow Design: DCSA is inviting industry to participate in the design and testing of new platforms, such as the Trusted Workforce 2.0 system. “We want industry to be part of building, and that means being part of the user experience. It means being part of the design and partnership—your office owners or security officers who use these systems—we want that information and input from, and it really means stress testing our workflows against your real operational realities before we deploy updates in the system,” Schadey said. This ensures solutions are practical, efficient, and responsive to industry needs.
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Small Business and Non-Traditional Defense Partners: DCSA is committed to reducing barriers by designing streamlined engagement pathways for non-traditional and small business partners. This includes lighter-touch initial security assessments, faster clearance timelines for specialized technical roles, and dedicated support from DCSA personnel who understand the unique needs of startups and small businesses. “Some of our most promising innovation is coming from companies that don’t traditionally engage with government security frameworks,” said Schadey. “They build fast, they think differently, and they are exactly the kind of partners we need.”
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Shaping Policy Future Together: DCSA provides critical guidance to industry in its capacity administering security programs for the Department of War. “We acknowledge that, in many instances, existing requirements create administrative burdens without providing a proportionate security benefit,” said Schadey. “We are working to ensure that we serve the community through industry forums staffed with personnel dedicated to listening to your concerns and communicating DCSA’s strategic initiatives. Substantive engagement is essential and we need to hear from you regarding which requirements are effective, which are not, and what you would recommend doing differently. These inputs enable DCSA to communicate the issues impacting your programs more effectively to the Department.”
Driving Irreversible Change
Schadey’s remarks reflected DCSA’s shift from a compliance-based, gatekeeper model to a partnership-driven, business-oriented approach. “For too long, the relationship between government security agencies and industry has been characterized by static, compliance-based processes. A relationship of gatekeepers and applicants, of checklists and audits. That model is failing us—and more importantly, it’s failing the warfighter,” said Schadey. “It is too slow, too predictable, and it fails to leverage the most powerful tool we have: our collective knowledge and in many cases just pure common sense.”
Schadey also acknowledged the pain points industry has experienced, including delays in clearances and data access, and committed to ending the wait. “We cannot be a roadblock. We must be a strategic advantage,” said Schadey. “DCSA’s renewed vision is to illuminate national security risk and empower faster, smarter decision-making to protect American innovation and resilience.”
Looking Ahead
As DCSA continues its transformation, Schadey invited industry to play a central role in shaping the future of personnel vetting, security, and risk management. “Help us design them out,” Schadey urged, referring to ongoing bottlenecks and reporting burdens. “We want ideal partners. We want defense firms with established AI centers of excellence and innovative small businesses ranked with niche analytic capabilities.
Schadey emphasized DCSA’s success depends on industry’s engagement, expertise, and willingness to innovate. “By partnering on these five key areas, industry can help DCSA deliver faster, more secure investigations and build a truly trusted workforce for the nation,” said Schadey.