DoD plans five-fold increase in cybersecurity command

Both the Washington Post and New York Times report that the Pentagon has approved a five-fold expansion of the US DoD Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) over the next several years to enhance its ability to defend critical computer systems and conduct offensive computer operations against foreign adversaries.

The expansion is in response to concerns about threats of potential attacks by "malicious actors" on US computer infrastructure, networks, computer systems. The Post article says that

"The gravity of that threat … has been highlighted by a string of sabotage attacks, including one in which a virus was used to wipe data a from more than 30,000 computers at a Saudi Arabian state oil company last summer."

The Cyber Command will have three different forces: national mission forces to protect computer systems that support the nation’s critical infrastructures, such as the electrical power grid, combat mission forces to plan and execute attacks on adversaries and cyber protection forces to secure DoD networks and computer systems.

The current Cyber command comprises about 900 personnel and is expected to grow to include 4,900 troops and civilians.

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