The U.S. Congress will elevate the United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), a sub-unified command subordinate to United States Strategic Command, to a full-fledged unified combatant command (UCC) in recognition of the undeniable importance of cyber warfare operations in any future conventional war.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is pushing hard for this functional upgrade and noted the strong consensus for the move in the entire U.S. government.
The promotion of USCYBERCOM marks an important milestone because it signals the U.S. is taking all facets of cyberspace operations seriously. These operations include network operations, defensive operations and offensive operations.
Created in 2009, USCYBERCOM centralizes command of cyberspace operations; organizes existing cyber resources and synchronizes defense of U.S. military networks. It's been headed by the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) since its inception, and relies on NSA resources to attain its mission. The current head of USCYBERCOM is Admiral Michael Rogers, who is also Director of the NSA.
"We are driving very hard at that solution (elevating USCYBERCOM)," said Maj. Gen. Burke Wilson, Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary of Defense and Senior Military Advisor for Cyber, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense.
"I don't see anybody that has come in and said that's not a smart thing to do across the department or interagency."
He said he's "99 percent sure we'll elevate and do it fairly quickly."
As a unified combatant command, USCYBERCOM will provide effective command and control of U.S. military forces, regardless of branch of service, in peace and war.
UCCs are organized either on a geographical basis (known as "area of responsibility" or AOR) or on a functional basis such as special operations, power projection, or transport. UCCs are joint commands.
The United States currently has nine UCCs, each headed by a combatant commander, who is normally a four-star general or an admiral.