[R-G] US military recruiting 'hacker soldiers'

[Anthony Fenton]

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=96621&sectionid=3510203

US military recruiting 'hacker soldiers'
Sun, 31 May 2009 18:48:14 GMT
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Military companies in the US are considering plans to employ cyber  
soldiers as the Pentagon moves to establish a cybercommand to manage  
future cyberwars.

The concept of preparing fighting cyberattacks is set to overhaul the  
idea of war in the US with computer talents gradually joining old  
soldiers.

Military giants including Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Lockheed  
Martin and Raytheon are now busy with recruiting "hacker soldiers" to  
address the new demand for an unconventional cyberwar and in a way to  
blend the new capabilities into the nation's war planning.

The computer nerds who were used to working in the Silicon Valley, now  
are recruited by the US military companies to prepare the country for  
a potential cyberwar.

The US government officials claim they face thousands of cyberattacks  
by Chinese and Russian hackers and they must protect their sensitive  
networks against such attacks. Moscow and Beijing have dismissed the  
claims.

“Everybody's attacking everybody,” said Scott Chase, a 30-year-old  
computer engineer who helps run a Raytheon unit, New York Times  
reported on Sunday.

As the recession forces more layoffs in the US, the new exotic job  
market seems to be promising for “cyberninjas” who are recruited by  
military companies to block the cyberattacks and design countermeasures.

Reports last month suggested that cyberspies successfully copied and  
took away several terabytes of sensitive data related to design and  
electronic systems of the costly F-35 Lightning II fighter.

Daniel D. Allen, who oversees work on intelligence systems for  
Northrop Grumman, estimated that federal spending on computer security  
now totals USD 10 billion annually, including classified programs.  
That is just a fraction of the government's spending on weapons  
systems. But industry officials expect the figure to rise rapidly.

RB/MMN