Embracing Cyber

Marine Corps Representative to the Quadrennial Defense Review Maj. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said US Cyber Command could become the next unified command much like US Transportation Command and US Strategic Command. “Cyber is here and it’s only going to grow,” said McKenzie during a Tuesday meeting with defense reporters in Washington, D.C. As such, the Marine Corps intends to allocate more resources to building Marine Forces Cyber Command—the Marine Corps component of CYBERCOM, which is based at Fort Meade, Md. Currently there are several hundred marines assigned to MARFORCYBER, he said. “We’re going to fully embrace [cyber] as we go forward. If you don’t embrace it, you are going to get killed by it,” said McKenzie. Each service will need to have the capability to defend its networks and possibly conduct cyber operations, he said. Because cyber is a Title 10 capability—meaning the Pentagon has authority for cyber operations under the US Code—the marines want that capability inherent in the Corps, he said. “Because of its importance, we’re going to want to maintain a degree of control,” said McKenzie during the March 26 meeting.