United States Cyber Command is the military organization in charge of defending American military computers and information networks against electronic attacks. It also can attack the computer systems of other countries and organizations. Cyber Command thus heads the United States’ ability to engage in hacking and cyberwarfare (electronic attacks).
Cyber Command was formed in 2009. Its headquarters are at Fort Meade , Maryland. It brings together cyber commands from the Army , Air Force , Navy , and Marine Corps . Cyber Command is part of the U.S. Strategic Command, which also controls the country’s nuclear missiles and space warfare programs.
Like the rest of society, the military depends on electronic communications handled by computers and networks, including the Internet . These include systems that control tasks ranging from ordering food for mess halls to launching nuclear missiles. Cyber Command works to ensure that these systems are safe from interference by outsiders. Such interference is increasingly common. In 2013, for example, the U.S. Defense Department reported that Chinese military spies had hacked into plans for advanced American missiles and aircraft.
Defending against cyberattacks is only part of Cyber Command’s mission. The other part of its mission is more controversial—hacking into enemy computers and networks. Such actions may occur even as the United States is not at war with any other nation. Some experts believe that cyberattacks can potentially cause tremendous economic damage and even human casualties in certain cases, such as the hacking of nuclear power plants.
