Building Cyber Resiliency in Federal Systems

Brian Mazanec is a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Center for the HHS Coordination Operations and Response Element (H-CORE) and the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

H-CORE was born out of Operation Warp Speed – the COVID-19 medical countermeasures response led by HHS and the Department of Defense which transitioned to ASPR in 2021. H-CORE’s mission today is to lead and enable agile, data-driven operational coordination, logistics readiness, and scalable response for public health emergencies and disasters, including infectious disease outbreaks and cyber attacks. Prior to his current role, Brian served as Deputy Director of the ASPR Center for Preparedness and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security, Intelligence, and Information Management.

Prior to joining ASPR, Brian served at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), where he was the senior executive responsible for leading the agency’s Strategic Warfare and Intelligence portfolio. He led and managed numerous teams evaluating a variety of national security programs and activities related to biological and other emerging threats; intelligence community management; security and counterintelligence; sensitive activities and programs; personnel vetting; and space policy and operations. Brian also previously worked on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) issues at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters, and the Joint Staff J5 Combating WMD directorate.

Brian received his PhD in Biodefense from George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and holds a BA in political science from the University of Richmond and a MS in defense and strategic studies from Missouri State University’s Department of Defense and Strategic Studies. In addition to his work in government, Brian’s teaches graduate level courses at several local universities, and he has authored or co-authored multiple academic books on cyber issues. He lives in Falls Church, Virginia with his wife and four children.

Mr. John K. Porter, III currently serves as the Acting Director of the DODIN Readiness and Security Inspections of the Joint Force Headquarters–Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN). In this position, he serves as the principal advisor to the Commander, JFHQ-DODIN, on the cyberspace security and readiness of the DODIN. This area includes mission-focused, threat-based inspections and assessments of Defensive Cyber Operations – Internal Defense Measures (DCO-IDM) effectiveness across the Department of Defense. He is currently leading a transformation of DOD enterprise cybersecurity inspection, assessment, and audit programs that generate a high-quality understanding of risk factors that strengthen DODIN posture to reduce risk to the DODIN and a feedback loop to improve real-time automated risk capabilities.