ISRAELI ARMY TO ESTABLISH CYBER WARFARE COMMAND

Written by NAN

16 June 2015

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The Israeli army said on Tuesday that it plans to establish a new command dealing exclusively with cyber warfare.

Currently, the Israeli military has several bodies spread out in different units that deal with the various aspects of a field that is gaining importance from day to day, including cyber defence, cyber attacks and cyber intelligence gathering.

Those will now be brought together under one command within two years, explained the official.

The new cyber command would oversee all operational activities in the cyber dimension.

A military statement said that the cyber dimension ``is of utmost importance in the mission to adapt the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to the dynamic changes and challenges of modern warfare.

``The IDF is required to excel in every aspect of war, including the cyber dimension, which is becoming more significant every day.

``This new command will empower the IDF to perform better in these fronts," said the lieutenant general," said Israeli Chief of General Staff, Gadi Eisenkot.

The head of the Israeli military's planning directorate, Maj.-Gen. Nimrod Sheffer, told a conference near Tel Aviv last week that "Israel has been wise enough to invest in becoming one of the greatest cyber powers in the world.

``We'll do everything necessary to maintain our place there, including organisational changes.

``The cyber world is developing swiftly. We have to invest a lot in the cyber world," Sheffer told the conference at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center.

Israel's Unit 8200, which falls under the Intelligence Corps, along with the U.S., is believed to have been behind the Stuxnet virus that ravaged Iran's Natanz nuclear facility.

The attack reportedly destroyed nuclear centrifuges by causing them to spin out of control.

Some also suspect Israel of having spied on hotels in Austria and Switzerland that hosted the Iran nuclear talks.

Israel also deals with regular large-scale cyber attacks by pro-Palestinian activists on its government portals and other websites. (dpa/NAN)