Defense Department Creates New Cyber Command Led by Lt. General Keith Alexander

The Washington Post reports that Lt. General Keith B. Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, has been confirmed to head the new Cyber Command. The new command will have both an offensive and defensive capability, including both the ability to block incoming attacks and of launching attacks against enemy computer networks.

The New York Times reported last month that the Defense Department created Cyber Command in response to hundreds of thousands of attacks every day against the computer networks essential to the Pentagon and military by individual hackers, criminal groups and nations.