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StratCom wants DoD cyber units joined

The head of U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees U.S. interests in space and cyberspace, believes the Defense Department needs to organize its cyber defensive and offensive capabilities under a single commander.

Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, who now oversees one of the 10 unified commands, put forth his suggestion May 7 in a Washington appearance before reporters.

Chilton made his case for a joint cyber command by drawing an analogy to war.

In combat, no lines are drawn between an army’s offensive and defensive units; in the cyber world, though, the Defense Department fences off the unit running day-to-day operations and protecting networks, the Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations in Arlington, Va., from the unit with attack capabilities, the Joint Functional Component Commander-Network Warfare, part of the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Md.

Chilton would like the joint command, likely headquartered at Fort Meade, to be part of Strategic Command, based at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

Strategic Command is looking at the basics of uniting the two agencies; Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Congress would have to sign off on the merger.

“What we have to do is show that bringing them together works,” Chilton said.

As for expanding the cyber protection mission to civilian networks, Chilton pointed out that the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for nonmilitary systems.

Chilton also talked about the importance of service members understanding that the front line of cyber warfare is sitting on their desks.

Turning on a desktop computer comes with responsibilities, Chilton warned. A service member hitting the “on” button is “stepping to the guard gate of his base.”

When it comes to network security, Chilton said one of his primary concerns is service members exposing computers and networks to hackers and spies trolling for weak points and information.

Every day there are “thousands” of attempts to infiltrate the Defense Department’s computer networks, said Chilton, who declined to name the nations or organizations trying to break in but pointed out the goal was espionage, not shutting the systems.

To improve security at the base level, Chilton wants readiness inspections to include reviews of how a base responds to a network break-in and what measures are in use to block attacks, the same way security units are reviewed.

Chilton said he is frustrated with antiquated security measures at some installations. In the civilian world, computer updates to fend off the latest viruses or fill security holes are done automatically. At many military bases, however, the process still requires someone going to each computer and downloading the updates.