Obituary - Dennis K. Holstein

Dennis K. Holstein, our friend and esteemed colleague, passed away in October 2022.

He contributed very actively to Study Committee D2 activities until his last weeks.   

Dennis Holstein was a subject matter expert specializing in security for intelligent automation systems. As an expert in applied systems analysis for operational research, Dennis used system engineering and soft system tools to develop static and dynamic models of the behavior of complex systems and situations. He used these models to translate perceived cybersecurity situations into a format that enables a structured discussion and debate. He designed this approach to reach a consensus, or more practically an accommodation, with other experts with widely different views on how best to articulate the security requirements.

 

Dennis was the co-inventor of "Automated Certification Based on Role - Patent: US2014/0101437 A1, April 10, 2014." Using this methodology, Dennis performed multiple audits of selected solution provider products and services, integration contractors, and end-users to determine the technical and maturity readiness level for each target application and operating environment. This work used multiple maturity model integration schemes.

 

After a long career in the aerospace industry, Dennis retired from the Aerospace Corporation, a federally funded research and development company, where he worked on multiple (classified) special projects. Under contract to different intelligence community agencies, such as the Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA), Naval Research Laboratories (NRL), and Defense Intelligent Agency (DIA). Dennis performed system engineering and technical advisory (SETA) tasks by working directly with contractors, integrators, and end-users.