A Pentagon Cyber-Command Is in the Works

The Obama administration is finalizing plans for a new Pentagon command to coordinate the security of military computer networks and to develop new offensive cyber-weapons, sources said last night.Planning for the reorganization of Defense Department and intelligence agencies is underway, and a decision is imminent, according to a person familiar with the White House plans.The new command would affect U.S. Strategic Command, whose mission includes ensuring U.S. “freedom of action” in space and cyberspace, and the National Security Agency, which shares Pentagon cybersecurity responsibilities with the Defense Information Systems Agency.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/22/AR2009042200029.htmlNew Military Command to Focus on Cybersecurity
The Obama administration plans to create a new military command to coordinate the defense of Pentagon computer networks and improve U.S. offensive capabilities in cyberwarfare, according to current and former officials familiar with the plans.The initiative will reshape the military’s efforts to protect its networks from attacks by hackers, especially those from countries such as China and Russia. The new command will be unveiled within the next few weeks, Pentagon officials said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124035738674441033.htmlWe don’t want to run U.S. cybersecurity efforts, NSA chief says
The director of the National Security Agency (NSA) today downplayed widespread concerns about his agency’s growing role in national cybersecurity affairs.Speaking at the security-oriented RSA Conference 2009 being held here this week, Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander stressed that the NSA has no desire to run cybersecurity for the federal government. Instead, the NSA wants to team up with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in developing and enforcing cyberdefenses for government and military networks.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131933NSA chief downplays cybersecurity power grab reports
The director of the National Security Agency on Tuesday downplayed reports of the NSA’s attempt to wrest control of cybersecurity responsibilities from rival federal agencies.”We do not want to run cybersecurity for the U.S. government,” Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander said at the RSA security conference here.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10224579-38.htmlGates: Cyberattacks a constant threat
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the United States is “under cyberattack virtually all the time, every day” and that the Defense Department plans to more than quadruple the number of cyber experts it employs to ward off such attacks.
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