The U.S. Army‘s future cyber mission force teams will use virtual effects in offensive and defensive strategies as part of operations against Islamic State militants in northern Iraq and Syria.
The service branch said Wednesday its cyber teams aim to protect the Defense Department‘s information network and other national interests from security breaches as well as offer cyber support to military and contingency operations.
“As we build these teams, we are… putting them right into the fight in contact in cyberspace,” said Brig. Gen. J.P. McGee, deputy commander of operations at the Army Cyber Command.
McGee envisions collaboration between cyber soldiers and a battlefield command inside a tactical operations center to suggest tactics for cyber electromagnetic missions similar to how artillery or aviation planners provide input.
Army Cyber will also provide CEMA support to the Corps and Below program that currently tests the use of expeditionary CEMA cells within training brigades.