Charlottesville cybersecurity company names defense president

Charlottesville-based cybersecurity technology company Mission Secure Inc. announced Tuesday it has appointed Bob McAleer as president of Mission Secure Defense.

A U.S. Army and industry veteran, McAleer most recently served as chief operating officer for Nashville, Tennessee-based Military System Group, which designs and manufactures weapons mounts. He also serves on the board of Utah-based thermal management company Airborne ECS, which designs and manufactures environmental control systems for aerospace and defense.

“A generational shift has changed the world of industrial cybersecurity, and protection of highly complex and sophisticated military control systems is no exception,” Energy Innovation Capital Managing Partner George Coyle, a Mission Secure board member, said in a statement. “Mission Secure was founded on the premise of protecting these military control systems from cyberthreats, and the company is uniquely positioned to lead the world in this regard. And with Bob’s skill sets and leadership, we will continue to drive the growth of the Mission Secure Defense business.”

During his 27 years with the Army, McAleer served in warfighting billets in airborne artillery, Stryker infantry and special operations units. He spent 11 years overseas and six in command and has previously served as the chief of exercises, chief of future operations for U.S. Forces Korea, chief of staff of the Army’s Legislative Liaison and then led the U.S. Army’s Senate Liaison Division.

McAleer earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, his master’s degree in business administration, a master’s of science in operations research from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in national security and resource strategy from the National Defense University. 

“I was drawn to Mission Secure because of its highly capable people and its unique position in an unchartered field critical to our federal government and Defense Department: cybersecurity for industrial control systems,” McAleer said in a statement. “It’s a soft underbelly of our national security establishment. Mission Secure is laser-focused on delivering solutions for platforms and key infrastructure to thwart hackers and nation-state actors alike.”

Mission Secure provides cyber protection, threat hunting and incident response. The concept for the company started in 2010 when the U.S. Department of Defense requested to be able to identify cyberattacks from weapons systems and platforms and be able to maintain control and fulfill the mission.

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