Lockheed Martin, the largest provider of IT services, systems integration, and training to the U.S. Government, announced on Thursday that it has opened a new Security Intelligence Center (SIC) in Australia.
Located in Australia’s national capital of Canberra, the new facility is an extension of Lockheed’s existing cyber defense network, and was officially opened today by Sondra Barbour, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems and Global Solutions.
The defense contractor said the new SIC, which marks the fourth center it now operates, will be manned by a team of Australian cyber intelligence analysts drawn from Lockheed Martin Australia’s employee base.
Lockheed’s SIC’s are tasked with reinforcing the company’s detection, identification and response to information security incidents, and developing and expanding a cyber workforce in the region.
Lockheed will integrate its local operations into the company’s global computer network defense and contribute to an active global exchange in cyber capability and tradecraft, the company said.
“This new Center is an investment in technology, expertise and talent for increased innovation throughout our Lockheed Martin team,” Barbour said in a statement. “As cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated and persistent, our cyber intelligence analysts continuously adapt and improve their methods in collaboration with government and industry partners, implementing new mitigations to keep ahead of the threats.”
“Lockheed Martin intends to lead the way in finding cyber-tech solutions that make our country safer, and to create cyber-professional jobs that meet Australia’s national security challenges today – and tomorrow,” Raydon Gates, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Australia said in a statement. “The establishment of this newest Centre is just the next phase in our commitment to Australia’s cyber security technological and economic evolution.”
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin has roughly 116,000 employees around the world, and had sales of $47.2 billion in 2012. Lockheed Martin Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company and employs over 700 people in Australia.
