NSA, StratCom gear up for cyber attacks C4ISR Journal February 22, 2007 National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Strategic Command (StratCom) personnel are developing the ability to attack and exploit foreign computer networks, according to a senior military officer connected to the program. U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen John “Dog” Davis, a StratCom official who works alongside the NSA at its Fort Meade, Md., headquarters, said this capability stands to become a high priority for the Network Warfare Joint Functional Component Command (JFCC) in the months and years to come. “We’re developing the world’s premier [computer network attack] capability,” he said Feb. 21 at an Association for Enterprise Integration conference in Arlington, Va. “Our goal is to operationalize net-centric warfare and bring PowerPoint [briefing slides] to life.” A former AV-8 Harrier pilot with combat experience, Davis said he aims to build a “weapons-school graduate mind-set” among the computer network attack (CAN) staff, so they can “attack holistically in a joint fashion.” “We need to develop the CNA structure within the JFCC so we can keep our operators in the cyber cockpit longer with incentives and a valid career track,” Davis said. America’s cyber-warfare efforts are not restricted to Fort Meade, however. The U.S. Army and Navy each have their own cyber-warfare programs, and the U.S. Air Force is laying the groundwork for a new Cyber Command with far-reaching responsibilities. Gen. Ronald Keys, commander of Air Combat Command and a speaker at the Air Force Association’s recent annual Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., said many of the operational and political issues surrounding the new command have yet to be resolved. “There’s a dynamic in Washington, when you have something new, [Cyber Command] — either they will stiff you or they will run with you because they think there’s money they can get from you,” he said. “So we have hooked all the cyber/Internet systems into Air Combat Command. “There’s more to cyberspace than computers. Is it electronic warfare? If [Cyber Command starts] talking about controlling my F-22s in cyberspace, I start to be less interested. This is an area where technology has outstripped our ability to make policy for it.” (Archives)