Manual Processes Are Putting National Security at Risk

This contributed article warns that widespread manual handling of sensitive data in defense and government is a strategic liability, explaining how legacy systems, procurement friction, cultural trust in human oversight, and cross-domain complexity sustain risky manual workflows; it outlines the risks (human error, policy erosion, audit gaps, cross-domain blind spots, and mission delay) and prescribes a ‘Cybersecurity Trinity’ of Zero Trust Architecture, Data-Centric Security, and Cross Domain Solutions, combined with training, pilots, and supply-chain verification to safely automate transfers and improve mission readiness.