Cyber threat calls for flexibility in command model, general says

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://gcn.com/articles/2009/09/21/lord-emphasizes-joint-force-approach-to-battle.aspx

By Amber Corrin
GCN.com
Sept 21, 2009

Technology's dark side has created a new battlefield in cyberspace, and 
that brings new considerations to the way military commands should be 
structured, according to Lt. Gen. William Lord, chief of warfighting 
integration and chief information officer of the Office of the Secretary 
of the Air Force.

Lord, speaking today to a meeting of the AFCEA Northern Virginia 
chapter, said the threat is already present. "e Air Force is heavily 
engaged in cyber operations. We' been swimming in the cyber domain 
waters for 25 years. We' operating in a hostile and contested domain,” " 
he said.

To be successful in such a domain, the U.S. Cyber Command and any other 
military force that deals with the cyber threat must develop a command 
structure that can be flexible, Lord said. Although the structure should 
be based on a traditional command model, it needs to incorporate some 
non-traditional elements, he said. " need to operate without heavy 
restrictions. There are enormous restrictions in the offensive domain. 
The biggest problem isn'the enemy, the biggest problem is us."

Cyber superiority is required for operational freedom of action, he 
said. "We have to understand that cyberspace can be shaped, but it 
cannot be dominated - ecause we don’t'ow most of it. It’s a's a 
commercial enterprise, not a military enterprise," he added.

[...]

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