Pentagon to Spend Much More on Cybersecurity
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An extra $400 million next year for cyber security projects in the U.S
Leaders of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) plan to boost their budget for cybersecurity technology and operations next year by $400 million to support increased defensive and offensive cyberspace capabilities and build the nation’s cyber warfare and cyber security forces.
Pursuant to President Obama’s cyber initiatives, complete with increased budgetary allocations for cybersecurity, cabinet officials laid out their argument for a strong public-private partnership on cyber. The trend seems to be bipartisan and well received by both Silicone Valley and East Coast tech companies.
According to Military & Aerospace, the proposed DoD budget for fiscal 2016, released recently, calls for spending $5.5 billion for cyber security, which is an increase over the fiscal 2015 budget request of $5.1 billion, according to Pentagon budget document. The federal 2016 fiscal year begins next October.
The Pentagon’s proposed cybersecurity budget for next year would continue the training and implementation of Cyber Mission Force teams from all the military services to focus on cyber threats and prepare to counter cyber attacks on the U.S.
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Cyber Mission Force teams also are being trained to support combatant commanders and military missions, as well as to secure, operate, and defend DOD computer and communications networks, and support global military operations.
Other goals of the Pentagon’s 2016 cyber security budget include:
- Helping build the Joint Operations Center for U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) at Fort Meade, Md., which should be occupied in 2018;
- Support cyber technology development and related cyber research projects;
- Support defensive cyberspace operations providing information assurance and cyber security to the DOD’s networks at all levels;
- Reorganize and add cybersecurity personnel in military commands to integrate and coordinate cyberspace operations;
- Provide money for the DOD’s larger information technology budget to consolidate and standardize military networks; and
- Implement the DOD’s Joint Information Environment (JIE) project to realign, restructure, and standardize how military computer networks are built, operated, and defended.
It should be noted that all branches of government have been stepping up their cybersecurity efforts under the current administration. This, whether due to technology fruition and or due to looming threats.
