Pentagon to Create 'Digital Warfare Force'

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted May 5, 2009 8:07 AM CDT

(Newser) – The US military is creating a digital warfare force as part of a complete reorganization of its cyber operations, says NSA director and top cyber warfare commander Keith Alexander. In blunt testimony prepared for the House Armed Services subcommittee today, Alexander says the Pentagon’s current cyber training is woefully inadequate. He says a new cyber command will be created at a Maryland Army facility.

In separate testimony, the Air Force’s chief of war-fighting integration says the Pentagon hasn't kept up with digital threats because it was too heavily reliant on industry efforts. The Pentagon has spent more than $100 million responding to and repairing the damage from cyber attacks over the past 6 months, and a recent National Research Council report concluded that its cyber warfare policies were ill-informed.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, reviews his notes, while testifying on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 1, 2007, before the Senate Intelligence Committee. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Crew member Breana Haecker operates one of computers on board a US Boeing B-707 OC-135B Observation Aircraft at the military airbase in Pardubice, Czech Republic in this file photo. (AP Photo/CTK, Alexandra Mlejnkova)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

The mission of the military's new cyber command at Fort Meade, Md., will be to 'defend vital networks and project power in cyberspace.' - Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Pentagon Opens More Jobs to Women

Females will still not be able to serve as infantry, however: sources

(NEWSER) - Defense Department rules are entering the 21st century. The Pentagon will recommend to Congress today that women in the military should be allowed to serve in a greater number of positions close to front lines. The AP notes that the rule shift would formalize a practice that has already been happening: Though women are technically prohibited from serving in combat battalions, over the past decade many have served at the front lines in roles including medic, military police officer, intelligence officer, and helicopter pilot. The military has previously dodged the rule by "attaching" such women to battalions, rather than formally assigning them, meaning the women would not receive credit for serving in combat arms. More»

Pentagon Weighs Syria Options

Arming rebels not being considered 'right now'

(NEWSER) - As the slaughter continues in Syria, the Pentagon has begun looking at options for supporting the rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime—though officials were quick to note that US policy remains focused on using only non-military options at present. Arming the rebels "is not being considered for now," says a White House spokesman. But the Pentagon has begun a preliminary review of its capabilities in light of its other current commitments in the region, because "it wouldn’t be doing its job if it didn’t put some ideas on the table," a senior military official tells CNN . He adds that this kind of review is a typical one, and CNN explains that the options are being assembled in case President Obama were to request them. More»

Panetta: US Combat Role in Afghanistan Over in 2013

But American, NATO troops will still have 'robust' advisory role

(NEWSER) - At some point next year, the US will no longer be fighting a war in Afghanistan for the first time in a decade. "Hopefully by mid to the latter part of 2013 we’ll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise, and assist role,” defense chief Leon Panetta told reporters today. That applies to NATO troops as well, and it's the first time the Obama administration has put a date on it, reports the New York Times and Washington Post . More»

We Can Overhaul Our Military-Industrial Complex

Smaller budgets can lead to leaner procurement process: Arthur Herman

(NEWSER) - Arthur Herman hopes the move toward smaller defense budgets will end at long last the Pentagon's bloated, wasteful, and outdated method of buying weapons and equipment. The system dates back to the days of "vacuum tubes and hi-fi sets" and it's precisely why an F-18 costs $90 million instead of $18 million, writes the American Enterprise Institute scholar at the Wall Street Journal . More»

Pentagon Trims Top Brass

Nearly 30 positions gone, rivaling post-Cold-War reductions

(NEWSER) - The Pentagon is thinning its ranks from the top down: It has cut 27 positions for generals and admirals since March, which the Washington Post calls the biggest such reduction since the end of the Cold War. Military leaders are taking advantage of the end of the war in Iraq and the winding down of the war in Afghanistan to push toward a goal of reducing the upper ranks by 10% over five years. It dovetails with a larger mission of creating a smaller, nimbler fighting force. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website