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Argos Media

New Military Command to Focus on Cybersecurity - WSJ.com - 0 views

online.wsj.com/...SB124035738674441033.html

US Pentagon Cyber Security NSA Keith Alexander Rod Beckstrom Department of Homeland Security

shared by Argos Media on 22 Apr 09 - Cached
  • The Obama administration plans to create a new military command to coordinate the defense of Pentagon computer networks and improve U.S. offensive capabilities in cyberwarfare, according to current and former officials familiar with the plans.
  • The initiative will reshape the military's efforts to protect its networks from attacks by hackers, especially those from countries such as China and Russia. The new command will be unveiled within the next few weeks, Pentagon officials said.
  • The move comes amid growing evidence that sophisticated cyberspies are attacking the U.S. electric grid and key defense programs. A page-one story in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported that hackers breached the Pentagon's biggest weapons program, the $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter, and stole data.
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  • A White House team reviewing cybersecurity policy has completed its recommendations, including the creation of a top White House cyberpolicy official
  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to announce the creation of a new military "cyber command" after the rollout of the White House review, according to military officials familiar with the plan.
  • NSA's increasingly muscular role in domestic cybersecurity has raised alarms among some officials and on Capitol Hill. Rod Beckstrom, former chief of the National Cyber Security Center, which is charged with coordinating cybersecurity activities across the U.S. government, resigned last month after warning that the growing reliance on the NSA was a "bad strategy" that posed "threats to our democratic processes."
  • Pentagon officials said the front-runner to lead the new command is National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander, a three-star Army general.
  • Former President George W. Bush's top intelligence adviser, Mike McConnell, first proposed the creation of a unified cyber command last fall. The military's cybersecurity efforts are currently divided between entities like the NSA and the Defense Information Systems Agency, which is responsible for ensuring secure and reliable communications for the military. The Air Force also runs a significant cybersecurity effort.
  • Cyber defense is the Department of Homeland Security's responsibility, so the command would be charged with assisting that department's defense efforts. The relationship would be similar to the way Northern Command supports Homeland Security with rescue capabilities in natural disasters. The NSA, where much of the government's cybersecurity expertise is housed, established a similar relationship with Homeland Security through a cybersecurity initiative that the Bush administration began in its final year.
  • The cyber command is likely to be led by a military official of four-star rank, according to officials familiar with the proposal. It would, at least initially, be part of the Pentagon's Strategic Command, which is currently responsible for computer-network security and other missions.
  • In a rare public appearance Tuesday at a cybersecurity conference in San Francisco, Gen. Alexander called for a "team" approach to cybersecurity that would give the NSA lead responsibility for protecting military and intelligence networks while the Department of Homeland Security worked to protect other government networks.
Argos Media

A Pentagon Cyber-Command Is in the Works - washingtonpost.com - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...AR2009042200029.html

US Pentagon Cyber Security Cyber Weapons US Strategic Command NSA

shared by Argos Media on 22 Apr 09 - Cached
  • The Obama administration is finalizing plans for a new Pentagon command to coordinate the security of military computer networks and to develop new offensive cyber-weapons, sources said last night.
  • Planning for the reorganization of Defense Department and intelligence agencies is underway, and a decision is imminent, according to a person familiar with the White House plans.
  • The new command would affect U.S. Strategic Command, whose mission includes ensuring U.S. "freedom of action" in space and cyberspace, and the National Security Agency, which shares Pentagon cybersecurity responsibilities with the Defense Information Systems Agency.
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  • The Pentagon plans do not involve the Department of Homeland Security, which has responsibility for securing the government's non-military computer domain.
  • The Wall Street Journal first reported on the plans last night.
  • News of the proposal comes on the heels of a 60-day White House review of cybersecurity efforts.
Pedro Gonçalves

BBC NEWS | Americas | US intelligence nominee withdraws - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8086689.stm

US Homeland Security Philip Mudd Torture CIA

shared by Pedro Gonçalves on 06 Jun 09 - Cached
  • US President Barack Obama's choice for a top intelligence job has withdrawn after questions about his experience of CIA interrogation techniques.Phillip Mudd worked for the CIA under former President George W Bush.
  • Earlier this year President Obama nominated him to be Under Secretary of Intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security.
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