U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is still deciding whether to ...

for Strategic & International Studies at an event Monday. Gates is “evaluating proposals,” while “the joint staff is still working out the details of how this command would work and what the reporting relationships are,” Lynn said. No legislation is needed since the command would be a subordinate to the existing STRATCOM, he said. However, the commander of the program would have to be confirmed by the Senate, and Defense plans to “consult actively with Congress before we move forward,” he said. The new command “would not represent the militarization of cyberspace,” he said, because it would be responsible only for defense and military networks, he said. Civilian networks are the Homeland Security Department’s responsibility, he said. Protecting defense computer networks is a top priority for the Defense Department, Lynn said. DoD “has formally recognized cyberspace for what it is: a domain, similar to land, sea, air and space,” he said. However, the U.S. has room for improvement on cybersecurity, Lynn said. DoD is working to improve awareness, training and capabilities for dealing with cyberthreats, he said. Partnerships among the U.S. government, international governments, academia and the private sector will also be critical, Lynn said. “That in the end will be the only way that we'll meet the challenge.”