China's cyber warfare sights are reportedly set on disrupting the U.S. military.
Defense One reported that in December 2015, China announced it had set up a Strategic Support Force – a version of the U.S. Cyber Command.
But the new force's key focus is building capabilities to disrupt U.S. military operations, Martin Libicki, who leads cybersecurity studies at the U.S. Naval Academy, wrote in the The Cipher Brief.
"China is pursuing the ability to corrupt U.S. information systems – notably, those for military logistics – and disrupt the information links associated with command and control," Libicki wrote. "The latter is also tailor-made for electronic war – hence the overall moniker for its effort, 'Integrated Network-Electronic Warfare.'"
Though in November 2015 China and all other "Group of 20" nations agreed to aid and support each other against the hacking of intellectual property and other commercial entities, International Business Times reported, the Chinese have focused on the United States for fear of an "intervention into Asia," according to Libicki – specifically against the military.
"They are building what I would call campaigns," Commander of the U.S. Cyber National Mission Force and Vice Adm. Tim White said, referring to both China and Russia, Defense One reported.
"They are being very thoughtful about it and being purposeful in their approach and there is some design that they are organizing themselves. It's not just a single mission, point of time, or place. It's interwoven together to achieve a national purpose."
"They're on the field and we are figuring out how to get on that field," White added. "What nations are doing in this space, it's more coordinated. It's more interoperable from their perspective. It's more structured and it's more integrated."
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