Roger That: Pentagon plans to set up new Cyber Com on par with other major commands

On Tuesday, the same day that Scott Air Force Base officially welcomed two cybersecurity squadrons to the base, a top Air Force general announced the Pentagon will likely set up a so-called CYBER-COM in the future, on par with current unified combatant commands, a top general said, but warned the organization shouldn't be too focused on cyber alone, according to Air Force Times.

“Someday that will come. I think that’s just a logical progression,” said Gen. John Hyten, the leader of Air Force Space Command.

But Hyten said that despite having responsibility for the cyber domain, the command should remember that cyber is integrated in all war-fighting operations.

“My own personal perspective is that I have actually a little bit of a challenge with a command that is only focused on a single domain,” Hyten said Tuesday at the annual Association of Old Crows symposium in Washington, D.C.

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The Washington Post is reporting that the Chinese military scaled back its cyber theft of U.S. commercial secrets in the wake of Justice Department indictments of five officers, and the surprising drawdown shows that the law enforcement action had a more significant impact than is commonly assumed, current and former U.S. officials said.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not substantially reengaged in commercial cyberespionage since then-Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced charges against the officers in May 2014, the officials said.

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Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday the U.S. military will deploy a specialized expeditionary targeting force to Iraq to launch unilateral raids and “put even more pressure” on ISIS, according to NBC News.

U.S. special operation forces will conduct operations in Iraq “at the invitation of the Iraqi government” and be in position “to conduct unilateral operations into Syria,” Carter said.

“We’re at war. We’re using the might of the finest fighting force the world has ever known,” Carter told the House Armed Services Committee. “Tens of thousands of U.S. personnel are operating in the broader Middle East region, and more are on the way.”

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Roger That: Pentagon plans to set up new Cyber Com on par with other major commands."