Gates Launches Cyberwar Military Command

Defense Secretary Robert Gates launched the military's new cyberspace surveillance command yesterday, with a mission to defend military computers and to orchestrate potential cyber attacks on enemy nations, reports the Los Angeles Times. In the short run, the US Cyber Command will be part of the Strategic Command, which oversees the nation's nuclear arsenal, but will likely become an independent unit in the future.

Homeland Security will continue to take the lead in defending government computers, with the new unit focusing on the Defense Department's networks. The operations will help secure "freedom of action in cyberspace," Gates wrote in the memo ordering the unit. America's "increasing dependency on cyberspace, alongside a growing array of cyber threats, adds a new element of risk to our national security," he warned.
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