# Cyber force > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cyber_force > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cyber_force.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_force > Source revision: 1356481742 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Military branch for cyber warfare}} {{Redirect|Cyber Force|the superhero team|Cyber Force (comics)}} [[File:Xibu plassf.jpg|thumb|[People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force](/source/People's_Liberation_Army_Strategic_Support_Force) personnel with a [Russian military](/source/Russian_Armed_Forces) soldier. The PLA Strategic Support Force was established in 2015, becoming as the world's first independent cyber force.]] A '''cyber force''' is a [military branch](/source/military_branch) of a nation's [armed forces](/source/armed_forces) that conducts military operations in [cyberspace](/source/cyberspace) and [cyberwarfare](/source/cyberwarfare).{{Cite book|title=Cyber-Crime: The Challenge in Asia|last1=Broadurst|first1=Rod|last2=Grabosky|first2=Peter|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|year=2005|isbn=9622097359|location=Hong Kong|pages=175}} The world's first independent cyber force was the [People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force](/source/People's_Liberation_Army_Strategic_Support_Force), which was established in 2015 and also serves as China's [space force](/source/space_force). As of 2024, the world's only independent cyber forces are the [People's Liberation Army Cyberspace Force](/source/People's_Liberation_Army_Cyberspace_Force), the German [Cyber and Information Domain Service](/source/Cyber_and_Information_Domain_Service), [Norwegian Cyber Defence Force](/source/Norwegian_Cyber_Defence_Force), and the Singapore [Digital and Intelligence Service](/source/Digital_and_Intelligence_Service).{{Citation |last=Blessing |first=Jason |title=The Global Spread of Cyber Forces, 2000–2018 |date=2021 |url=https://ccdcoe.org/uploads/2021/05/CyCon_2021_Blessing.pdf}} Most other countries organize their cyber forces into other military services or joint commands. Examples of joint cyber commands includes the [United States Cyber Command](/source/United_States_Cyber_Command) == History == In 2015, China created the world's first independent cyber force, establishing the [People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force](/source/People's_Liberation_Army_Strategic_Support_Force).{{cite web |title=China's Strategic Support Force: The New Home of the PLA's Cyber Operations? |url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/chinas-strategic-support-force-new-home-plas-cyber-operations}} This was followed by Germany's establishment of the [Cyber and Information Domain Service](/source/Cyber_and_Information_Domain_Service) as the world's second cyber force in 2017 and Singapore's creation of the [Digital and Intelligence Service](/source/Digital_and_Intelligence_Service) as the world's third cyber force in 2022.{{cite web |title=Germany struggles to step up cyberdefense – DW – 08/07/2018 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-struggles-to-step-up-cyberdefense/a-44979677 |website=[Deutsche Welle](/source/Deutsche_Welle)}}{{cite web |title=Establishment of the Digital and Intelligence Service: A Significant Milestone for the Next Generation SAF |url=https://www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/mindef/news-and-events/latest-releases/article-detail/2022/October/28oct22_nr2}} Within the United States, the [United States Air Force](/source/United_States_Air_Force) was the early leader in military cyber operations. In 1995, it established the [609th Information Warfare Squadron](/source/609th_Information_Warfare_Squadron), which was the first organization in the world to combine offensive and defensive cyber operation in support of military forces. Initially viewing cyber as a subdivision of [information warfare](/source/information_warfare), the [Air Intelligence Agency](/source/Twenty-Fifth_Air_Force) controlled many of the early cyber missions. The [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) and [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) believed that the Air Force was attempting to seize the cyber mission for itself, pressuring the Air Force to stop the activation of [Air Force Cyber Command](/source/Air_Force_Cyber_Command_(Provisional)).{{cite web | url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/from-cybernetics-to-cyberspace/ | title=From Cybernetics to Cyberspace }} Instead, [United States Cyber Command](/source/United_States_Cyber_Command) was created as a subunified command under [United States Strategic Command](/source/United_States_Strategic_Command) in 2009 and [Army Cyber Command](/source/United_States_Army_Cyber_Command), [Fleet Cyber Command](/source/U.S._Fleet_Cyber_Command), [Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command](/source/Marine_Corps_Forces_Cyberspace_Command), and [Twenty-Fourth Air Force](/source/Twenty-Fourth_Air_Force) were created as service components.{{Cite news|url=https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1511959/cybercom-to-elevate-to-combatant-command/|title=Cybercom to Elevate to Combatant Command|last=Ferdinando|first=Lisa|date=May 3, 2018|work=U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE|access-date=2018-10-11|language=en-US}} U.S. Cyber Command traces its history back to the 1998 establishment of Joint Task Force – Computer Network Defense, and its 2000 redesignation as Joint Task Force – Computer Network Operations under [United States Space Command](/source/United_States_Space_Command). Following the inactivation of Space Command and its merger into [United States Strategic Command](/source/United_States_Strategic_Command) in 2002, Joint Task Force – Computer Network Operations was split into [Joint Task Force – Global Network Operations](/source/Joint_Task_Force_%E2%80%93_Global_Network_Operations) and [Joint Functional Component Command – Network Warfare](/source/Joint_Functional_Component_Command_%E2%80%93_Network_Warfare) in 2004 before being reunified under U.S. Cyber Command. In 2014, the U.S. Army established the [Cyber Corps](/source/Cyber_Branch_(United_States_Army)), merging the offensive cyber role of the [Military Intelligence Corps](/source/Military_Intelligence_Corps_(United_States_Army)) and defensive cyber role of the [Signal Corps](/source/United_States_Army_Signal_Corps).{{cite web | url=https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/November-December-2020/Anderson-Cyber-History/ | title=Older Than You Realize Teaching Branch History to Army Cyberwarriors }} In 2018, Cyber Command was elevated to a full [unified combatant command](/source/unified_combatant_command).{{cite web | url=https://www.cybercom.mil/About/History/ | title=Command History }} Periodic calls for the creation of a U.S. Cyber Force have occurred.{{cite journal|last=Costa|first=Robert|date=April 2002|title=SUPPORTING THE INFORMATION-CENTRIC 2001 QUADRENNIAL DEFENSE REVIEW:THE CASE FOR AN INFORMATION SERVICE|url=http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA420669|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130095501/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA420669|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 30, 2012|journal=Air University|publisher=United States Government|page=261|access-date=July 28, 2014}}{{cite journal|last1=Conti|first1=Gregory|last2=Surdu|first2=John "Buck"|date=Spring 2009|title=Army, Navy, Air Force, Cyber: Is it Time for a Cyberwarfare Branch of the Military?|url=http://www.rumint.org/gregconti/publications/2009_IAN_12-1_conti-surdu.pdf|journal=Information Assurance Newsletter|volume=12|issue=1|pages=14–18|access-date=July 28, 2014}}{{cite journal|last1=Venable|first1=David|editor1-last=Vişoianu|editor1-first=Corneliu|editor2-last=Anghelache|editor2-first=Adina|title=Time For A Cyber Force?|journal=Strategikon Annual Book 2017|date=June 21, 2017|pages=170–176|url=http://www.strategikon.ro/news/2017-edition-strategikon-annual-book-year-challenging-choices/|access-date=21 July 2017}} In September 2025, the [Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine](/source/Verkhovna_Rada) passed a law approving the creation of the [Cyber Forces of Ukraine](/source/Cyber_Forces_(Ukraine)) to modernize and expand the [Armed Forces of Ukraine](/source/Armed_Forces_of_Ukraine)'s cyberwarfare capabilities amid the [Russo-Ukrainian war](/source/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022%E2%80%93present)).{{Cite web |date=2025-10-09 |title=Ukraine's parliament backs creation of cyber forces in first reading |url=https://kyivindependent.com/ukraines-parliament-backs-creation-of-cyber-forces-in-first-reading/ |access-date=2025-12-10 |website=The Kyiv Independent |language=en}} == Cyber forces == {{Main|List of cyber warfare forces}} The following list outlines the independent cyber forces currently in operation around the world: *{{flagicon image|Cyberspace_Flag_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China.svg}} [People's Liberation Army Cyberspace Force](/source/People's_Liberation_Army_Cyberspace_Force) *{{flagicon|Germany}} [Cyber and Information Domain Service](/source/Cyber_and_Information_Domain_Service_(Germany)) *{{flagicon|Norway}} [Norwegian Cyber Defence Force](/source/Norwegian_Cyber_Defence_Force) *{{flagicon|Singapore}} [Digital and Intelligence Service](/source/Digital_and_Intelligence_Service) *{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [National Cyber Force](/source/National_Cyber_Force) === Proposed === * {{Flag icon|UKR}} [Cyber Forces (Ukraine)](/source/Cyber_Forces_(Ukraine)) == See also == * [National Cyber Security Centre (disambiguation)](/source/National_Cyber_Security_Centre_(disambiguation)) * [Cyber-power literacy](/source/Cyber-power_literacy) == References == {{Reflist}} {{Clear}} {{Military branches}} Category:Military branches Category:Types of military forces Category:Cyberwarfare --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cyber force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_force) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_force?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.