Federal Cyber Experts Christen Satellite Office in Georgia

A U.S. Department of Defense unit has opened its first remote office outside the Pentagon with its new facility in east Georgia.

Defense Digital Service works to find solutions for highly technical problems encountered by the military, The Augusta Chronicle reported.

It held a grand opening recently in the Georgia Cyber Center.

The space is dubbed Tatooine, which comes from Luke Skywalker’s home planet in the “Star Wars” movie series.

Defense Digital Service reports directly to the Secretary of Defense.

Its first satellite office — in Augusta — puts it in close proximity to the U.S. Army Cyber Command and the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon.

In keeping with the Star Wars theme, there are references to the films throughout the Augusta offices that add to the nerdy vibe, a vibe they embrace.

“These are the nerds y’all are looking for” — a reference to a line from one of the Star Wars movies — is on a sign outside the door to the Tatooine office.

Defense Digital Service began as “this little startup inside the Pentagon,” said its director, Brett Goldstein.

Its appearance might be similar to other technology companies in the Augusta building, but what makes it different are its projects. Its employees specialize in technical issues that arise within military systems that must be addressed and solved quickly.

“The beauty behind this team and why I am so proud of folks is they have a core set of skills, but they end up being really versatile,” Goldstein said. “Where it is probably different from the private sector is you can one day be working on a traditional enterprise system, a couple of days later you can be forward in a combat zone working on a different issue.”

Goldstein said there’s “enormous technical talent” in Augusta and the larger region.

“The growth here has been truly amazing,” he said.