Technology | Pentagon Pentagon to Create New Cyber Command Four-star general will lead efforts to fight digital attacks By Jason Farago Posted Apr 22, 2009 8:27 AM CDT Copied President Barack Obama after holding his first Cabinet meeting, Monday, April 20, 2009, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. At right is Defense Secretary Robert Gates. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) The Obama administration is about to create a new military command to bolster American offensive powers in cyberwarfare and to coordinate defenses against digital attacks, reports the Wall Street Journal. A four-star general will lead the new command, which will have responsibility for protecting the country from attacks by hackers, particularly from China and Russia. The move to create a new "cyber command" comes a day after reports that hackers, believed to be working from China, had penetrated computer systems for the military's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter and downloaded terabytes of data. Military systems aren't the only computer networks vulnerable to attack; security of the private sector, including the electric grid and telecommunications, is currently undergoing a White House review. Read These Next A former NFL Pro Bowler has died at age 36. Backlash for Trump nominee who said he has 'a Nazi streak.' A man ended up dead after trying to steal from Spirit Halloween. Disney+ and Hulu cancellations rose amid Jimmy Kimmel suspension. Report an error