The Three Star Navy Cyber Command

I hear that the Chief of Naval Operations will sign off on creation of a new Fleet Cyber Command by the end of this month, and it will have a three star boss. The Air Force and Army cyberwar outfits only have two star commanders.

This means the Navy may well end up end up with two three-star cyber admirals, as the Naval Network Warfare Command (NETWARCOM) headquartered at the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., is headed by Vice Adm. Denby Starling II.

NETWARCOM, I'm told , will -- as it always has -- do all the heavy cyber work for the new Fleet Cyber Command/Tenth Fleet. No news on who will run the new Navy cyber command or where it will be located, though I hear Ft., Meade, Md., home of the NSA and the new U.S. Cyber Command is a likely possibility.

The Air Force, which pushed heavily to run all things cyber in the Defense Department, activated its cyber force last week, the 24th Air Force at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, headed by Maj. Gen. Richard Webber.

The Army has handed its cyber mission to the Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Signal Command, Ft. Huachuca, Ariz., headed by another two star, the really cool Maj. Gen. Susan Lawrence.

Webber, Lawrence and the yet to be named Fleet Cyber Command honcho will report to U.S. Cyber Command boss and NSA chief Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, who will pick up his fourth star when the uber-cyber command opens for business Oct. 1.

I think the Army and Air Force will need to promote Lawrence and Webber just to keep up with the Navy.