Collaborate Disseminate
The U.S. Cyber Command unfunded priorities wish list includes $168 million to enhance the Cyber Mission Force, a group conducting offensive and defensive cyber operations.
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When U.S. Cyber Command simulated a cyberattack against a seaport last month, military personnel hunted for adversaries who appeared to be using malware against a critical trade hub in an updated version of its annual exercises. The annual weeklong test, known as “Cyber Flag,” is meant to help cyber staffers better defend against critical infrastructure cyberattacks, military commanders involved in the exercise told reporters in a briefing Tuesday. By imitating a cyberattack that blocked the seaport’s ability to move cargo, potentially affecting inernational trade, military leaders tested their readiness for a real-world attack, and looked for ways to improve their response. The simulation also included officials from throughout the U.S. government and from allied partners to emphasize stronger coordination. “Cyber Flag is the command’s annual tactical exercise series that features teams working on keyboard against a live opposing force,” said Rear Adm. John Mauger, Cyber Command’s director of exercises and training. “The environment is really […]
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The U.S. Army has announced its pilot program to directly commission civilians as cyber operations officers is close to launching. Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of U.S. Army Cyber Command, said the pilot program was approved Oct. 27 and the Army wi… Continue reading Army to Commission Civilians as Cyber Officers
The U.S. Army and Navy say their Cyber Mission Force teams are fully operational a full year ahead of the deadline imposed by the Pentagon. The Army’s 41 teams and the Navy’s 40 will perform offensive and defensive missions, including combat support missions and defense of critical infrastructure. They report to U.S. Cyber Command, which validated the Army’s teams on Sept. 28 and Navy’s teams on Oct. 6, officials said Thursday. “Reaching [full operational capability] at this point in the development of the Navy’s CMF teams is a testament to the extraordinary hard work invested in manning our teams and training our personnel,” Navy Vice Adm. Michael Gilday, commander of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, said in a statement. “Although reaching this milestone is a great accomplishment, the true challenge will be sustaining readiness and the prompt ability to ‘answer all bells’ when directed by U.S. Cyber Command.” The Navy’s force means 1,800 […]
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U.S. Cyber Command lacks the authorities it needs to manage personnel, set standards for training and ensure its Cyber Mission Force teams are properly equipped for combat, according to a Department of Defense watchdog. A classified November 2015 report by the Pentagon inspector general assessed whether the CMF teams “had adequate facilities, equipment and capabilities to effectively perform missions.” A heavily redacted version was released to CyberScoop this week as the result of a Freedom of Information Act request. Although the report is almost two years old, many of the problems it describes persist, according to former military officials who spoke to CyberScoop on condition they not be identified or quoted, owing to the classified nature of the issues. The Trump administration’s plan to elevate U.S. Cyber Command to full-fledged Unified Combatant Command status — and other changes proposed and in some cases implemented since the report was issued — will help […]
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U.S. Cyber Command lacks the authorities it needs to manage personnel, set standards for training and ensure its Cyber Mission Force teams are properly equipped for combat, according to a Department of Defense watchdog. A classified November 2015 report by the Pentagon inspector general assessed whether the CMF teams “had adequate facilities, equipment and capabilities to effectively perform missions.” A heavily redacted version was released to CyberScoop this week as the result of a Freedom of Information Act request. Although the report is almost two years old, many of the problems it describes persist, according to former military officials who spoke to CyberScoop on condition they not be identified or quoted, owing to the classified nature of the issues. The Trump administration’s plan to elevate U.S. Cyber Command to full-fledged Unified Combatant Command status — and other changes proposed and in some cases implemented since the report was issued — will help […]
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Eight months after all 133 of U.S. Cyber Command’s Cyber Mission Force teams reached initial operating capability, 70 percent of the force’s teams are “fully operational capable,”Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford testified on Tuesday before the House Armed Services Committee. “They’ve had all the manning, they have all the training, they’re fully operational capable,” Dunford said. “But I think none of us are complacent with where we are in cyberspace given the number of threats we face every day. We need to defend the network, develop effective offensive tools and be in a position to grow the force.” The Cyber Mission Force teams are tasked with defending Defense Department networks (68 teams), supporting military objectives (27 teams), providing analytic support to combat missions (25 teams) and defending U.S. critical infrastructure (13 teams). Cyber command was first stood up in 2009, yet the mission force teams were first added in 2015. Dunford […]
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U.S. Cyber Command is not “optimized” today to combat information operations orchestrated by foreign powers, NSA Director and U.S. Cyber Command head Adm. Michael Rogers said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday. “It right now is not in our defined set of responsibilities per say,” Rogers told lawmakers. “I would be the first to admit that [information warfare] is not what our workforce is optimized for … we are certainly not where we need to be.” Even so, Cyber Command is concurrently engaged in an expansive counter-messaging campaign against ISIS, Rogers acknowledged. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the clandestine hacking operation is aimed at the areas surrounding Syria and largely focused on compromising electronic devices belonging to terrorists, which carry content typically shared online. Depending on one’s definition of “information warfare,” it’s arguable that Cyber Command is already involved in such efforts. “I think one of our […]
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U.S. Cyber Command is not “optimized” today to combat information operations orchestrated by foreign powers, NSA Director and U.S. Cyber Command head Adm. Michael Rogers said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday. “It right now is not in our defined set of responsibilities per say,” Rogers told lawmakers. “I would be the first to admit that [information warfare] is not what our workforce is optimized for … we are certainly not where we need to be.” Even so, Cyber Command is concurrently engaged in an expansive counter-messaging campaign against ISIS, Rogers acknowledged. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the clandestine hacking operation is aimed at the areas surrounding Syria and largely focused on compromising electronic devices belonging to terrorists, which carry content typically shared online. Depending on one’s definition of “information warfare,” it’s arguable that Cyber Command is already involved in such efforts. “I think one of our […]
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