General outlines growth plan for Cyber Command

The biggest challenge facing the nascent U.S. Cyber Command is growing and training its operational force to defend Defense Department networks from attack, the command's top officer said Thursday.

During a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Army Gen. Keith Alexander said Cyber Command is hoping to train around 1,000 troops annually over the next several years for the high-tech mission.

Alexander called the 1,000-personnel goal per year an "initial benchmark."

"We're not there yet, but that's what we're working on," he said after the hearing, adding that he ultimately wants an equal contribution from each of the military services.

U.S. Cyber Command began initial operations in May, barely 11 months after its formation was ordered by Defense Secretary Gates. As a subcommand of the U.S. Strategic Command, USCYBERCOM's mission is to defend U.S. defense information networks and, according to a command fact sheet, conduct "full-spectrum military cyberspace operations" in order to enable actions in all domains, ensure US/Allied freedom of action in cyberspace and deny the same to our adversaries."

When the new command, which is headquartered at Fort Meade, Md., becomes fully operational next month, Alexander's staff will number about 1,100 personnel, which is the amount the four-star general said he needs for now.

Alexander still needs to a significantly larger force of operators from each of the services, although he did not say if any final decision on force size has been made. Key areas under review are how to best recruit and retain soldiers under his command, including using incentives such as bonuses, Alexander told the committee.

"I am optimistic that we will get the force that we need," Alexander said, adding that he is pushing the services to provide personnel faster.

Alexander said his "greatest concern is moving fast enough to provide a capability to defend our networks in time if a crisis were to occur."

But he stressed that the military cannot create a cyber operator overnight. Indeed, some training programs take 18 months. To speed up the process, Alexander and other senior officers within the services are discussing whether to do on-the-job training for some operators so they can temporarily augment the force before attending formal training.

The mission for the new command is expansive. Within the Defense Department there are more than 15,000 different computer networks, including 7 million computer devices on 4,000 military installations around the world, according to the House Armed Services Committee.

The military's various information systems face thousands of attacks a day from criminals, terrorist organizations and more than 100 foreign intelligence organizations.

"Of one thing I am confident, cyberspace will be a big part of future warfare," Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., said Thursday. "That means we can't afford to get this wrong. The establishment of CYBERCOM is a critical milestone for this nation's defense."