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SpiderOak Creates New Space Advisory Board, Appoints Highly Decorated Veterans and Industry Experts to Address Cybersecurity Threats

July 12, 2022

SpiderOak announced the creation of a new Space Advisory Board including the appointment of General Ellen M. Pawlikowski (U.S. Air Force, retired) and Frederick J. Doyle, Jr., along with the reappointment of Admiral James A. "Sandy" Winnefeld (U.S. Navy, retired), Lieutenant General Ken Tovo (U.S. Army, retired), and Phil Eichensehr, veteran industry leader serving the intelligence community. SpiderOak's new advisory board members will be tasked with addressing the cybersecurity vulnerability of commercial and national security space systems, which is widely considered the gravest threat to space resiliency. The board will help guide the company in fielding zero-trust products and services to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the most sensitive data in space networks.

General Ellen Pawlikowski

Before retiring in 2018, General Pawlikowski was the four-star commander of Air Force Material Command, leading over 80,000 people and managing $60 billion annually, executing critical warfighter support through leading-edge research and development technology. With a PhD in engineering from UC Berkeley, she served thirty-six years on active duty and is a key technology leader in areas as diverse as airborne lasers and space communications. Gen. Pawlikowski is also widely credited with restoring technical rigor to the systems acquisition workforce as the Commander of the Space & Missile Systems Center. Prior to that position, Gen. Pawlikowski was the Commander of the Air Force Research Lab, the Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, and held various senior positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

"Rethinking our nation's space resilience is now a top priority of the Pentagon, and SpiderOak's blockchain-based products for securing satellites and their networks are a crucial part of building that resiliency," said Gen. Pawlikowski. "I am pleased to join this new advisory board and believe that SpiderOak's technology will usher in a new and enhanced way to secure America's space infrastructure."

Fred Doyle

Mr. Doyle is president of ISBF, LLC, an aerospace and defense consulting company. Previously, he was VP Defense & Intelligence at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Mr. Doyle held various executive-level positions at Space Imaging, Corp. from 1998 to 2005, including the company's first commercial high-resolution imaging satellite launch: IKONOS. Prior to joining the private sector, Doyle served more than 20 years in the Defense Mapping Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and other branches of the intelligence community.

Admiral James A. "Sandy" Winnefeld 

With a degree in Aerospace Engineering, Admiral Winnefeld began his naval service as a fighter pilot, flying the F-14 Tomcat. He continued his career as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (also known as Top Gun) and served as senior aide-de-camp to General Colin L. Powell. Admiral Winnefeld commanded a fighter squadron, the amphibious ship USS Cleveland, and the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.  As a flag officer, he commanded a carrier strike group, two NATO commands, the United States 6th Fleet, United States Northern Command, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). His final tour of duty was as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Committee, ensuring the integrity of warfighter requirements remain at the forefront of decision-making within the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. He is a director for several public and private corporations and chairs the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

Lieutenant General Ken Tovo

Current chairman of the Green Beret Foundation, Lieutenant General Tovo was Commanding General of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Previously, he served as Deputy Commander, Southern Command; Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan and NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan; Commander, Special Operations Command Central; Deputy Commanding General, 1st Armored Division; and Deputy Commanding General, Special Operations Command Europe. A combat veteran with multiple deployments to Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, General Tovo is a thought leader in Irregular Warfare and Special Operations.

SpiderOak's new Space Advisory Board reconfirms the company's latest commitment to providing space operators the same levels of assurance in the authority, integrity, and confidentiality of space architectures that other industries have come to expect from SpiderOak's secure communication and collaboration offerings.

In March, SpiderOak announced Charles Beames was elected Executive Chairman, advancing the company's shift to focus on the new space economy, particularly in the defense sector. Today, Beames remarked: "It is vitally important that our space infrastructure is protected against its biggest threat: cyber-attacks. It will take the strategic leadership of both the private sector and government agencies to ensure the best technologies are developed to secure our country's leadership in this second space race. The addition of these leaders to our Space Advisory Board will provide us the insight and guidance necessary to match our product development with federal needs."