Fergie's Tech Blog

Gates to Nominate NSA Chief to Head New Cyber Command

Siobhan Gorman writes in The Wall Street Journal:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to nominate the director of the National Security Agency to head a new Pentagon Cyber Command, which will coordinate computer-network defense and direct U.S. cyber-attack operations, according to a draft memo by Mr. Gates.

The move comes amid rising concern in the government about attacks on U.S. networks. The command will run military cybersecurity operations and provide support to civil authorities, according to the memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

NSA Director Keith Alexander, a three-star general, is expected to earn a fourth star when he moves to his new job at the Cyber Command. The memo doesn't state that directly, but says that his deputy at the new command will be of a three-star rank. It isn't clear who will succeed him at the NSA.

More here.

Note: This, after we were told that the NSA "...doesn't want the job"? I smell cheese. - ferg

Added: Running Cyber Security for the military (strictly speaking) is different from being in charge of U.S. Cyber Security. Mea culpa. -ferg

posted by Fergie @ 4/24/2009 11:50:00 PM