The Pentagon Gears Up For An Internet-Based War
As the world moves deeper into the digital age, the Pentagon is building a new command structure to handle cybersecurity.
The Defense Cyber Defense Command (DCDC) is one of the newest agencies in the Department of War. It has one mission: to protect America from all digital threats that could undermine U.S. national security.
“I’m currently assigned there to build out a … framework and command and control footprint, because the most important thing, besides understanding the technology, the people, the processes, is who’s in control, who’s executing, what’s the common rail amongst all the authorizations that we have between CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), FBI, Coast Guard, Department of War writ large,” Col. Adolph Rodriguez, director of Defense Critical Infrastructure at the DCDC, told Breaking Defense during the TechNet Cyber conference Wednesday.
DCDC was formerly known as the Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network. It was elevated to a new sub-unified structure under U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) in May 2025, according to the DCDC history page.
“Given the dynamic nature of cyber capabilities, fast and continuous, once again addressing these questions is welcome, absolutely essential, and will not be [the] last time it happens,” Heritage Foundation Visiting Fellow and former Pentagon official Steven Bucci told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an email. “If we get to the point that we think we have ‘solved’ this challenge, we will be [in] grave danger. So, are we prepared? Yes. Do we need to be constantly endeavoring to become more prepared? Absolutely.”
“How do we continue to operate before, during, and after the attack?” Breaking Defense reported, citing Rodriguez.
CYBERCOM and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House referred the DCNF to the Pentagon.
‘State-Sponsored Cyber Actors’
The move to unify DCDC as its own subcommand under CYBERCOM was initially put forth in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
This command has newfound importance in U.S. national defense as Chinese hackers begin to target infrastructure in the U.S., CISA reported on Feb. 7, 2024.
“People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber actors are seeking to pre-position themselves on IT networks for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States,” according to the CISA report.
“Why don’t we build a cyber campaign plan that’s enduring that we can utilize those NORTHCOM authorities with Cyber Command’s authorities, build out the sectors very similar to FEMA so this way we don’t have to change any of the infrastructure and now execute that muscle memory of training, assessments, and then identify where the key infrastructure is?” Breaking Defense reported, citing Rodriguez.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/06/07/pentagon-internet-cybersecurity-war-defense/