CybersecurityHouse approves $447 for Cyber Command

Published 20 January 2014

The House of Representatives approved a fiscal 2014 stop-gap budget last Monday (it approved to full spending bill on Wednesday), which allocates $447 million to the Defense Department’s Cyber Command. This is more than twice the $191 million budget for Cyber Command in 2013.

The House of Representatives approved a fiscal 2014 stop-gap budget last Monday (it approved to full spending bill on Wednesday), which allocates $447 million to the Defense Department’s Cyber Command. This is more than twice the $191 million budget for Cyber Command in 2013.

The Senate is expected to approve the spending bill.

NextGov reports that as cyber missions  increase in scope and complexity, the Pentagon expects to recruit more active duty military and civilian personnel to Cyber Command’s staff. The head of Cyber Command, General Keith Alexander, told lawmakers in 2013 that the goal is to grow cyber forces by 2,000 personnel annually until 2016, a substantial increase from a staff of about 834 active duty military and civilian personnel in March 2013.

On Monday, the House also approved a $792 million 2014 budget for cybersecurity at DHS. This is an increase of $35.5million from last year’s budget.

According to an assessment of government compliance with cyber legislation, the number of cyber incidents agencies and all other sectors reported to DHS increased by 42 percent between fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012, to a total of 153,043 cases.