In an interview on NBC, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke about the danger cyberattacks pose to the nation. The Department of Defense's Cyber Command has also had an expansion of its workforce approved by the Pentagon, and will expand from 900 personnel to up to 4,900 personnel.
"What I worry about is that [cyberattacks] could be used to implant a destructive device that could cause significant harm to the industrial base," Dempsey said. "Whether it’s critical infrastructure or the financial network. There are reports that destructive cyber tools have been used against Iran," Dempsey continued. "I’m neither confirming nor denying any part in that, but what it should tell you is that capability exists, and if it exists, whoever’s using those can't assume that they're the only smart people in the world."
The expansion plan, which has not been finalized yet, along with Dempsey's concerns, show that cybersecurity is a hot topic for the military. With attacks having been carried out on the US already, it seems like the expansion plan is a swift response to secure our networks and systems.
The expansion plan currently states the intent to create three types of forces: national mission forces that will protect the systems that control the electrical grids, power plants, and other critical infrastructure; combat mission forces to assist commanders abroad for offensive operations; and cyber protection forces that will defend the DOD's own networks.
The DOD is convinced that a cyberattack will come eventually, and is taking steps to prevent it. In a time of economic unrest it's also good to see that cybersecurity is an area of growth.
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