Friday, April 16, 2010

By Your Command

Cylon Security.  Ooops, make that cyber-security is coming to the foreground.  Ricks has a guest post today about the Senate hearings on LTG Keith Alexander's new role as commander of Cyber Command which is just now forming.  Cyber Command will be equivalent, more or less to the other Commands: the regional ones such as Central Command, but also the functional commands of Space, etc.  Given the news of late (China/Google, etc), this seems to be about time. 

Of course, there are heaps of complexities hinted to in this piece:
  • Division of labor between domestic with the dysfunctional Department of Homeland Security
  • Alexander will be double-hatted with Cyber Command and his continued role as Director of the National Security Agency.  Will this mean divided attention or fruitful interaction?
  • Rules of engagement for commanders--what is an attack?  how can one reply? what permission is required?
  • Congress is way behind the curve. 
Still, an interesting and logical starting point.

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