US Army to synchronize defenses as cyber fight goes global

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Army Cyber Command plans to convert one of its regional centers in the U.S. into a hub that can better coordinate digital operations across the world.

Lt. Gen. Maria Barrett, the commander of ARCYBER, on Aug. 17 said the move is necessary to improve collaboration between the five existing centers, the focal points for cyber resources and responsibility in various theaters.

“You do need to have this synchronized across the globe,” Barrett said at the AFCEA TechNet Augusta conference. “We’ve got to be talking to each other. So having somebody who can synchronize that, among the five, is pretty important.”

Two regional cyber centers are in the U.S. One is in Arizona; the other, Hawaii. Barrett said the “CONUS” center, in the continental U.S., would be made “global.” Three other centers are scattered abroad, in Germany, Kuwait and South Korea.

The change is expected to have little immediate impact on operations at the theater level.

“This is the house we inherited, right? We walked into a 1910 house with a lot of walls and small doorways,” Barrett said. “I watch a lot of HGTV. It’s time for the open concept.”

Barrett took the helm at ARCYBER nearly four months ago. She previously served as head of the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, where she was responsible for portions of the Department of Defense Information Network.

Her comments Wednesday come as the Defense Department moves away from decades of fighting in the Middle East and toward preparations needed for a more expansive and technologically advanced fight against China and Russia.

The Army’s space, cyber and special operations commands this month said they formed a triad to strengthen capabilities across all environments and to provide commanders with additional options.

“Our adversaries don’t know any boundaries. They operate across the globe. So we all come at these things with a trans-regional” mindset, Barrett said Aug. 17. “We know that by putting our capabilities together, we can end up with an effect that is greater than the parts.”

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