Pentagon Expanding Cybersecurity Efforts

Would increase employees from 900 to 4,000

The Pentagon is moving toward a major expansion of its cybersecurity force to counter increasing attacks on the nation's computer networks, as well as to expand offensive computer operations on foreign adversaries, defense officials said Sunday.

The expansion would increase the Defense Department's Cyber Command by more than 4,000 people, up from the current 900, an American official said. Defense officials acknowledged that a formidable challenge in the growth of the command would be finding, training and holding onto such a large number of qualified people.

The Pentagon "is constantly looking to recruit, train and retain world class cyberpersonnel," a defense official said Sunday.