Hamre foresees joint task force for info ops at DOD

The Pentagon has plans under way to set up a joint task force to handle strategic and tactical information operations, both offensive and defensive, according to Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre.

Hamre said that although DOD still is working to determine "the focal point for [network] protection and information operations," the Pentagon eventually will create a joint task force to handle information operations, particularly in battlefield situations.

At the moment, it appears that the new task force will be located in one of the DOD's unified commands, Hamre said. Those commands include the Atlantic Command, the Special Operations Command, the Pacific Command and the European Command.

Hamre said overall network security increasingly is becoming the responsibility of the Defense Information Systems Agency.