By Cliff Montgomery – May 26th, 2009
The Obama Administration is quietly creating a Defense Department command which will “develop newoffensive cyber-weapons,” according to a little-noticed article in The Washington Post last month.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the new Pentagon command. The Post apparently confirmed thestory on April 22nd.
Following common Pentagon procedure, the command is being sold to the American public as a defense forthe nation, or as something that will “coordinate the security of military computer networks.” Yet the Postappeared to go out of its way in stressing that the command will employ offensive as well as defensive cyberweapons.
A planned reorganization of the Defense Department and U.S. intelligence agencies now is underway. “Aperson familiar with the White House plans” told the Post that a final decision on the Pentagon cyber-weaponscommand is “imminent”.
But careful observers have noted that such a cyber-weapons authority may have always been a considerationof the Obama Administration.
As early as February 9th, the White House issued a press release which announced an “Immediate CyberSecurity Review” to be conducted by the combined forces of its land Security and National SecurityCouncils.
“President Obama has directed the National Security and land Security Advisors to conduct animmediate review of the plan, programs, and activities underway throughout the government dedicated tocyber security,” stated the February release.
“This 60-day inter-agency review will develop a strategic framework to ensure that U.S. Government cyber-security initiatives are appropriately integrated, resourced and coordinated with Congress and the privatesector,” added the release.
If approved, the new weapons authority certainly will have an influence on U.S. Strategic Command, whichcurrently is charged with the mission of ensuring American “freedom of action” in both space and cyber-space.
The National Security Agency, or NSA (which is not to be confused with the above-mentioned White HouseNational Security Council) also will be affected, as it now shares Pentagon cyber-security duties with theDefense Information Systems Agency.
This planned weapons command will not interfere with the cyber authority of the land SecurityDepartment (DHS), however.
The DHS (which, of course, is not to be confused with the White House land Security Council,mentioned above) is charged with securing all U.S. government non-military computers.
