Gates establishes U.S. Cyber Command, names first commander

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WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced May 21 Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander's appointment as the first commander of U.S. Cyber Command, officially establishing the Initial Operating Capability for the new command.

The announcement comes immediately following General Alexander's promotion to receive his fourth star during a ceremony at Fort Meade, Md.

"Given our increasing dependency on cyberspace, this new command will bring together the resources of the department to address vulnerabilities and meet the ever-growing array of cyber threats to our military systems," Secretary Gates said.

USCYBERCOM possesses the required technical capability and focuses on the integration of cyberspace operations. The command's leaders are charged with pulling together existing cyberspace resources, creating synergy that does not currently exist and synchronizing war-fighting effects to defend the information security environment.

According to Defense Department officials, this is not an expansion of DOD's mission. It is in keeping with the Department's mission to protect and defend U.S. national security and protect the lives of men and women in uniform.

USCYBERCOM is a sub-unified command, subordinate to U.S. Strategic Command and its headquarters currently are located at Fort Meade. The Senate confirmed General Alexander's promotion to become commander of USCYBERCOM on May 7. For more information, visit www.defense.gov/cybersecurity.