Bundeswehr to set up cyber warfare forces 42804163

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Defence & Security News - Germany
 
Bundeswehr to set up cyber warfare forces
The German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has announced on 27 April the plans to establish a new ministry department with its own budget that will oversee the structuring of Bundeswehr’s cyber forces. The new directorate will be headed by an inspectorate at the rank of lieutenant general and will have units from all the Services under its command.
     
Bundeswehr to set up cyber warfare forces
German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen holding the report outlining the plan for the establishment of the ministry's and Bundeswehr's Cyber Command (Photo: Bundeswehr)
     

Cybersecurity of the Armed Forces has been the main issue of a parliamentarian hearing that took place on 22 February 2016, for the development of joint initiatives between ministries. According to the German Ministry of Defence Secretary, Katrin Suder, such initiatives are the National Cyber Defence Centre, the joint training of cybersecurity specialists, the development of academic research at the Armed Forces University in Munich, the deeper engagement of the industry etc.

Since then, government officials have refined the planning and organizational requirements. The results were handed over to the Ursula von der Leyen on 26 April. The Defence Minister’s announcement yesterday is the result of this work, leading now to setting up a cybersecurity and cyberwarfare establishment in the ministry’s and Bundeswehr’s organizational chart.

Since April 1st, the German MoD has a Cyber and Information Command, headquartered in Bonn and led by Lieutenant General Markus Knelp. Its tasks will include cybersecurity, military intelligence, geoinformation and operational communications. It will have strength of 13,500 posts with the transfer of specialized personnel from all of the Services, including both military and civilian staff.

Under the new Command, two separate commands will be established. The Strategic Reconnaissance Command and the Bundeswehr Information Technology Command. The latter was previously known as the Support Command. Furthermore, the ministry will start on October 1st the operation of the Department of Cyber and IT security, which will have its own budget. In addition, it will become the national and international point of contact for all the issues surround cyberdefence and cyberwarfare.