A cyber force is a

military branch Military branch (also service branch or armed service) is according to common standard a subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state. Types of branches Unified armed forces The Canadian Armed Forces is the unifie ...

of a nation's

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

that conducts military operations in

cyberspace Cyberspace is an interconnected digital environment. It is a type of virtual world popularized with the rise of the Internet. The term entered popular culture from science fiction and the arts but is now used by technology strategists, security ...

and

cyberwarfare Cyberwarfare is the use of cyberattack, cyber attacks against an enemy State (polity), state, causing comparable harm to actual warfare and/or disrupting vital computer systems. Some intended outcomes could be espionage, sabotage, propaganda, ...

. The world's first independent cyber force was the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force, which was established in 2015 and also serves as China's

space force A space force is a military branch of a nation's armed forces that conducts military operations in outer space and space warfare. The world's first space force was the Russian Space Forces, established in 1992 as an independent military service. ...

. As of 2022, the world's only independent cyber forces are the PLA Strategic Support Force, the German Cyber and Information Domain Service, Norwegian Cyber Defence Force, and the Singapore Digital and Intelligence Service. Most other countries organize their cyber forces into other military services or joint commands. Examples of joint cyber commands includes the

United States Cyber Command United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It unifies the direction of cyberspace operations, strengthens DoD cyberspace capabilities, and integra ...

History

In 2015, China created the world's first independent cyber force, establishing the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force. This was followed by Germany's establishment of the Cyber and Information Domain Service as the world's second cyber force in 2017 and Singapore's creation of the Digital and Intelligence Service as the world's third cyber force in 2022. Within the United States, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

was the early leader in military cyber operations. In 1995, it established the 609th Information Warfare Squadron, which was the first organization in the world to combine offensive and defensive cyber operation in support of military forces. Initially viewing cyber as a subdivision of

information warfare Information warfare (IW) is the battlespace use and management of information and communication technology (ICT) in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent. It is different from ''cyberwarfare'' that attacks computers, software, and ...

, the Air Intelligence Agency controlled many of the early cyber missions. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

believed that the Air Force was attempting to seize the cyber mission for itself, pressuring the Air Force to stop the activation of Air Force Cyber Command. Instead,

was created as a subunified command under

United States Strategic Command The United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weap ...

in 2009 and Army Cyber Command, Fleet Cyber Command, Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, and Twenty-Fourth Air Force were created as service components. U.S. Cyber Command traces its history back to the 1998 establishment of Joint Task Force – Computer Network Defense, and its 2000 redesignation as Joint Task Force – Computer Network Operations under

United States Space Command United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense, responsible for military operations in outer space, specifically all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) and greater ...

. Following the inactivation of Space Command and its merger into

in 2002, Joint Task Force – Computer Network Operations was split into Joint Task Force – Global Network Operations and Joint Functional Component Command – Network Warfare in 2004 before being reunified under U.S. Cyber Command. In 2014, the U.S. Army established the Cyber Corps, merging the offensive cyber role of the Military Intelligence Corps and defensive cyber role of the

Signal Corps A signal corps is a military branch, responsible for military communications (''signals''). Many countries maintain a signal corps, which is typically subordinate to a country's army. Military communication usually consists of radio, telephone, ...

. In 2018, Cyber Command was elevated to a full unified combatant command. Periodic calls for the creation of a U.S. Cyber Force have occurred, with the most notable being by retired

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

and Supreme Allied Commander Europe James G. Stavridis and retired intelligence officer and cyber security businessman David Venable.

Cyber forces

The following list outlines the independent cyber forces currently in operation around the world: * People's Liberation Army Cyberspace Force * Cyber and Information Domain Service * Norwegian Cyber Defence Force * Digital and Intelligence Service

References

{{Military branches Military branches Types of military forces Cyberwarfare

History

Cyber forces

See also

References