Extra personnel to protect military networks
The Pentagon has moved cyber operators from Maryland to Hawaii to strengthen the U.S. Pacific Command’s technical defenses. The deployment is part of an initiative called “Cyber Defense Forces Pacific,” which aims to expand cyber protection across the region.
The newly assigned personnel are serving with DISA-Pacific, the regional field command of the Defense Information Systems Agency, whose headquarters is at Fort Meade. Brig. Gen. Michael Smith, who oversees communications, information systems and cyber matters at the command, said the newcomers provide an additional layer of cybersecurity defense in the theater.
Smith expressed gratitude for the reinforcements, noting that local defensive capacity had been far more limited before they arrived.
Reinforcements drawn from a Pentagon cyber unit
The personnel came from the Department of Defense Cyber Defense Command, based at Fort Meade and operating under U.S. Cyber Command. The unit is responsible for defending the Pentagon’s data networks.
Smith described the move as an extension of the cyber defense personnel assigned to the Pacific Command’s area of responsibility. The goal is to build a stronger defensive capability, backed by trained personnel, tools and resources. The newly assigned operators are trained to protect information and respond to cyber incidents.
China looms over the region’s cyber threat landscape
The command has not disclosed specific threats to its networks. Its operations, however, take place in a region where China is regarded as one of the United States’ most technologically capable adversaries.
Security experts have warned that Beijing has targeted networks connected to critical military infrastructure on Guam, a strategically important U.S. installation. Such operations could be intended to disrupt Washington’s ability to respond to a regional crisis.
Funding aimed at cyber defense
Amid these and other online threats, U.S. Cyber Command has sought in recent years to increase funding for cyber defense in the Pacific region.
