Cyber Command’s 5-point strategy

Commander of U.S. Cyber Command Gen. Keith Alexander highlighted his latest initiatives which he said will better answer this generation’s battle cry against cyber threats, writes Elizabeth Montalbano of InformationWeek.

Testifying at the House Arms Services Committee, Alexander pointed out his five priorities:

• Treating cyberspace as a domain within DOD.
• Employing active cyber defenses and other new defense approaches.
• Teaming with other federal agencies and the private sector on a national cybersecurity strategy.
• Strengthening relationships with international partners.
• Recruiting a cybersecurity workforce.

He also outlined steps to develop a “defensible IT architecture” that incorporates cloud computing and thin-client networks to move data to remote, secure computing sites off desktop computers.

As Federal Computer Week has previously reported, Alexander sees the domain of cyberspace to be defended as a wide-ranging territory.

“Cyberspace has become a critical enabler for all elements of national and military power,” Alexander said in a speech he delivered on June 3, 2010 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “As President Obama’s national security strategy states, our digital infrastructure therefore is a strategic national asset. And protecting it, while safeguarding privacy and civil liberties, is a national security priority."