[ISN] DOD organizes network command

[InfoSec News]

Forwarded from: William Knowles <wk at c4i.org>

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/1206/web-dod-12-10-04.asp

By Frank Tiboni 
Dec. 10, 2004

The nation's top cyberwarrior announced today that officials formed a
new command structure to better operate and protect the military's
computer networks.

"It's commanders working with commanders," said Air Force Lt. Gen.  
Harry Raduege, commander of the task force. He spoke today at a
luncheon sponsored by the Northern Virginia chapter of AFCEA
International.

Defense Department officials approved Nov. 19 the Global Information
Grid Network Operations and Defense plan that identifies four
officials in the military services that will report to the commander
of the Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations.

The military services' commanders who will work with Raduege to
achieve a better structure and discipline for operation and protection
of the military's networks include Army Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen,
commanding general of Army Space and Missile Defense Command; Air
Force Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson, the service's component commander to
Strategic Command; Navy Vice Adm. James McArthur Jr., commander of
Naval Network Warfare Command; and Marine Corps Col. Robert Baker, the
Marines' chief information officer.

DOD Secretary Donald Rumsfeld created the task force in June and named
the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency to oversee it
to achieve a more cohesive operation and protection of the military's
networks. Raduege started serving as the agency's director in 2000 and
this week agreed to oversee it for two more years.

Raduege needed a command structure to better operate and protect the
military's networks because they increasingly come under attack. He
said task force officials reported 62,810 attempted intrusions to date
this year, up from 54,488 in 2003.

Raduege also revealed that military networks were hacked 294 times in 
2003. He said military employees could prevent 90 percent of the 
attacks if they practice better computer security to include using 
unique passwords and heed advice from the military's information 
assurance bulletins. 

The task force falls under Strategic Command, one of the military's 
nine unified combatant commands that either oversee use of combat 
forces in a geographic region or provide a capability and develop 
doctrine for them. Strategic Command oversees the operation and 
protection of the military's networks and information operations to 
include psychological operations and perhaps computer network attack. 


 
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