Pentagon aproves cyber-command

After years of having the Chinese practically attack the Pentagon's military systems and other civil systems without consequence, the Pentagon is finally setting up a cyber command.

The cyber command's primary purpose will be to protect the military's computer systems. It is unknow whether the cyber command will have offensive capabilities.

Let's hope that it will. Alertnet

WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - The Pentagon will create a Cyber Command to oversee the U.S. military's efforts to protect its computer networks and operate in cyberspace, under an order signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday.

The new headquarters, likely to be based at Fort Meade, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., will be responsible for defending U.S. military systems but not other U.S. government or private networks, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

Asked if the command would be capable of offensive operations as well as protecting the Department of Defense, Whitman declined to answer directly.

"This command is going to focus on the protection and operation of DoD's networks," he said. "This command is going to do what is necessary to be able to do that."