Navy, Marines bolster cybersecurity defenses.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin

* Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, said cyber is now an established part of warfare.

"We've already mentally accepted the fact that... [cyber is] the fifth domain of the battle space," he said during a February industry conference hosted by the U.S. Naval Institute and AFCEA International. " There's cyber fighting going on right now.... Our networks are under attack."

There needs to be an increased focus on cybersecurity and protecting essential systems that connect warfighters around the globe, he said.

"Because of our adversaries, our potential adversaries' capabilities, what is [today] our critical capability and our center of gravity could... very quickly become our critical vulnerability," he said. "How do we protect the network? How do we protect what we've got and enable ourselves to leverage the communication and the weapons systems that we have?"

The military can no longer assume that the network will always be accessible or safe, he said. "We're going to do everything we can to protect it and make sure it is, but I don't think we can count on it," he said.

The Navy and Marine Corps have subsequently boosted cybersecurity spending in their recent budget request for fiscal year 2017, said Rear Adm. William Lescher, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for budget.

"The department continues to prioritize funding of cyber capabilities, including continued emphasis on cyberspace operations, training and equipping cyber mission forces, investments in cyber science and technology, and information assurance activities that strengthen [the] defense of our networks," Lescher said.

The Navy established a cybersecurity division that will guide the service's strategy in the domain and manage investments, he noted during a February media briefing at the Pentagon. The budget includes $370 million over the future years defense program "across the spectrum of cyber programs leading to significant improvements in the department's cyber posture," he said.

Budget documents also indicated that funding was added toward increased cyber situational awareness.

The Navy allotted $212 million toward its consolidated afloat networks and enterprise services. CANES merges five of the sea service's legacy networks into one for increased operational effectiveness.

"The FY '17 budget request... provides substantial investments in modernized currently fielded systems in order to continue to overmatch adversaries," Lescher said. "CANES replaces...