Text Fwd: Pentagon's New Cyber Command will be a sub-unit of STRATCom

* Text fwd from Kev Hall and Frank Cordaro on May 5, 2009*

Excerpt:
"Alexander said the military's new cyber command at Fort Meade, Md., will be a sub-unit of U.S. Strategic Command, and would be designed to "defend vital networks and project power in cyberspace." "
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090505/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_cyber_warfare

Pentagon cyber command to create force for future
by Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – The U.S. military must reorganize its offensive and
defensive cyber operations and will use a new command at a Maryland
Army facility to create a digital warfare force for the future, the
director of the National Security Agency says.

Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, also the Pentagon's leading cyber warfare
commander, said the U.S. is determined to lead the global effort to
use computer technology to deter or defeat enemies, while still
protecting the public's constitutional rights.

In testimony prepared for delivery Tuesday to a House Armed Services
subcommittee, Alexander and other military leaders in cyber matters
outlined the challenges to keeping up with rapidly changing
technologies and the need for more resources and training. In blunt
comments, Alexander acknowledged that cyber training for the
Pentagon's work force is inadequate and must be improved.

In separate prepared testimony, Lt. Gen. William Shelton, the Air
Force's chief of warfighting integration, said the Pentagon relies
heavily on industry efforts to respond to cyber threats. That
approach, he said, does not keep pace with the threat.

The testimony comes as the Obama administration prepares to release
its review of the nation's cybersecurity, and on the heels of a
critical report by the National Research Council. The independent
group's report concluded that the government's policies on how and
when to wage cyber warfare are ill-formed, lack adequate oversight and
require a broad public debate.

Alexander said the military's new cyber command at Fort Meade, Md.,
will be a sub-unit of U.S. Strategic Command, and would be designed to
"defend vital networks and project power in cyberspace."

Defense Department networks are probed repeatedly every day and the
number of intrusion attempts have more than doubled recently,
officials have said.

Military leaders said earlier this month that the Pentagon spent more
than $100 million in the past six months responding to and repairing
damage from cyber attacks and other computer network problems.
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