ASSESSMENTS

The Pentagon Defines Its Role in Cybersecurity

Jun 3, 2015 | 09:30 GMT

The U.S. military's fight against hackers
The seals of the U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency and the Central Security Service greet employees and visitors at the campus the three organizations share in Fort Meade, Md.

(CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images)

Forecast

  • Though the U.S. Department of Defense leads in understanding and exploiting cyberspace vulnerabilities abroad, it will struggle to defend the same vulnerabilities domestically without assistance from other agencies and the private sector.
  • The Pentagon will continue to lack the visibility and organizational structure to defend the range of networks upon which it relies.
  • Any efforts to expand U.S. law enforcement or military jurisdiction or authority over the Internet's infrastructure likely would face significant domestic opposition.
  • The Defense Department has accepted that it must share the domain of cyber defense and thus will continue to work as a partner in defending U.S. economic interests that reside in cyberspace.

The Pentagon will continue to lack the visibility and organizational structure to defend the range of networks upon which it relies. Partnering with other government agencies and the private sector will make the U.S. military's cyber defense efforts more effective....

Subscribe to view this article

Subscribe Now

Subscribe

Already have an account?