It's official: DOD Cyber Command activated

The Defense Department officially activated its new Cyber Command on May 21, with Army Gen. Keith Alexander as its leader.

The Senate approved Alexander to become a four-star general and lead the new command on May 7. The command that will integrate the military’s offensive and defensive cyber capabilities was ordered last June by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

“By establishing CYBERCOM, we put a single military commander in charge of monitoring and defending this virtual theater, just as other commanders bear responsibility for geographic theaters,” Gates said in remarks prepared for the new command’s activation ceremony on May 21. “The purpose and jurisdiction of this command is clear: to defend the military’s operational networks against attacks.”

The Cyber Command is located at Fort Meade, Md., which is also the headquarters for the National Security Agency, which Alexander also heads.