USCYBERCOM Gets Wartime Assignment

By Debbie Gregory.

The Defense Department’s United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), the military arm of the government’s efforts in cyberspace, has received its first wartime assignment in the fight against the Islamic State. This increases the need for those trained in high tech jobs for military.

USCYBERCOM is an armed forces sub-unified command subordinate to United States Strategic Command. Founded in 2009, the command is located in Fort Meade, Maryland, and centralizes command of cyberspace operations, organizes existing cyber resources and synchronizes defense of U.S. military networks.

The Pentagon has just announced that the previous commander of the Cyber National Mission Force, Maj. Gen. George J. Franz III, is heading back to Cyber Command, where he will be director of operations. His return comes at a time when the command is stepping up efforts to hack the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. His previous battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan could come in handy in that regard.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said, “I have given the Cyber Command in the counter-ISIL fight really its first wartime assignment.” ISIL is another name for the group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Adm. Michael Rogers, the head of USCYBERCOM and director of the National Security Agency, said terrorists using cyberattacks to inflict damage on the U.S. and other nations was among his top concerns. The command has set three missions for itself that will lead to success in cyber operations: ensure DoD mission assurance, deter or defeat strategic threats to U.S. interests and infrastructure, and achieve Joint Force Commander objectives

By 2018, the Pentagon plans to have 133 cyber teams, 27 that are designed for combat to work with regional commands to support war-fighting operations. There will be 68 teams assigned to defend Defense Department networks and systems, 13 that would respond to major cyberattacks against the U.S., and 25 support teams.

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