Signal Support to Army Cyberspace Operations

As the lead author of FM 6-02 Signal Support to Army Operations, the Signal Regiment's keystone doctrinal manual, it seems clear that, sooner or later, there will be a requirement to set forth in signal doctrine the tenets of signal support to Army operations in the cyberspace domain. Without a doubt, the primary driver behind this inevitable requirement is the activation of an Army Service Component Command subordinate to the recently established joint sub-unified command, US Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM).



USCYBERCOM was formally activated on May 21st.

As depicted in the accompanying graphic, Army Forces Cyber Command (ARFORCYBER), as it is called, is now functioning at initial operating capacity with the expectation that by October of this year, it will reach full operating capacity. With activation of ARFORCYBER, all four Services have now stood up service component commands to support USCYBERCOM.

USCYBERCOM, which falls under the operational control of US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), plans, coordinates, integrates, synchronizes and conducts activities to:

• Direct the operations and defense of specified DoD networks.
• Prepare to and, when directed, conduct full spectrum operations in and through cyberspace in order to enable actions in all domains, ensure US and Allied freedom of action in cyberspace and deny the same to our adversaries.

The initial USCYBERCOM commander is Army General Keith Alexander who was awarded his fourth star in a ceremony that coincided with the activation of the new command. General Alexander will continue to serve simultaneously as the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA). Up to this point, General Alexander has, has commanded the Joint Functional Component Command-Network Warfare (JFCC-NW), an organization that is being folded into the infrastructure of USCYBERCOM.
The ARFORCYBER commander is the commander of the US Army Space and Missle Defense Command/Army Strategic Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT). This, of course, is a temporary setup pending several decisions that will be made between now and October. SMDC/ARSTRAT is the Army Service component command for USSTRATCOM. So, for the next four months, SMDC/ARSTRAT and ARFORCYBER are one and the same.
By October, however, ARFORCYBER will have assumed its own identity. But it will be a command cobbled together from existing elements. The Army is not growing in order to have this new command structure. More than likely, the new command will be a composite of elements from SMDC/ARSTRAT, the US Army Network Engineering Technology Command/9th Signal Command (Army)--NETCOM/9th SC(A), and the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM).

ARFORCYBER's mission, still not formalized, will be to plan, coordinate, integrate, synchronize, direct, and conduct network operations and defense of All Army networks; when directed, the command will conduct cyberspace operations in support of full spectrum Army operations to ensure US and Allied freedom of action in and through cyberspace, and to deny that same freedom to our adversaries.

When all the decisions concerning ARFORCYBER's organization compositon, structure, and mission are made, and the new command is formally established, it will fall to the Signal Regiment to revise its doctrine to include signal support for cyberspace operations. Looking ahead, that support will be provided under two broad capabilities:

• Network operation, or NETOPS.
• Electromagnetic spectrum management operations.

Both of these capabilities are Signal Regiment core competencies. Army doctrine pertaining to these core competencies may be found in:

• FM 6-02 Signal Support to Army Operations (when published).
• FM 6-02.70 Army Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations.
• FM 6-02.71 Network Operations.