NSA director to be new cyber commander

There's a new cyber chief on the block, but not the one we've been waiting for. President Obama nominated National Security Agency director Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander to be promoted to the rank of general and assigned as commander of the new United States Cyber Command.

We're still waiting for the appointment of the White House cyberczar. Who knows what happened to that very interesting position that was supposed to be filled months ago. Alexander, however, will be in charge of cyberwarfare and the security of military networks at the new Cyber Command.

It will be based in Ft. Meade, Md., where the National Security Agency is also headquartered, and will be part of the U.S. Strategic Command. In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee earlier this year, Alexander said that it was vital for the military to combine some of its existing cybersecurity efforts.

"The way we're approaching [cybersecurity] today does not work," he testified. "We can put the defense and the offense together for the good of the department. The rapid expansion and global dependence upon cyberspace require[s] the Defense Department to evolve its warfighting doctrine to include cyberspace as a viable domain on par with the domains of the land, sea, air and space."

For more on the new cyber commander:
- see this InformationWeek article

Related Articles:
Cyber command may grab new DISA headquarters
Cyber war is not the same as traditional warfare
When a czar is not a czar