A bill cleared the House on Wednesday that establishes U.S. Cyber Command as a standalone unit, according to The Hill.
Following passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the U.S. military's cyber entity, which formerly needed permission of Strategic Command to conduct cyber operations while reporting to the National Security Agency (NSA), will now conduct cyber operations as a unified command unit.
While Adm. Michael Rogers advocated for the new designation with legislators, he advised against breaking away from the NSA as the agency provides needed resources.
The NDAA – which authorizes $610 billion for Pentagon programs – received strong support among legislators, who said the move was necessary to shore up cyber actions in U.S. defense operations.However, the White House opposed the reconfiguration, arguing against changes to the line of command, as well as disagreements with several other provisions. It issued a veto threat on Monday.
