Pentagon plans to increase spending for cyber security activities by $400 million next year
WASHINGTON, 3 Feb. 2015. Leaders of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) plan to boost their budget for cyber security 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.
The proposed DOD budget for fiscal 2016, released Monday, 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 cyber security 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. The Pentagon's 2016 budget request was released on Monday.
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 cyber security 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.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
