FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. – In recognition of the command's ability to execute authority, direction, and control over cyberspace forces, Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth officially designated Joint Force headquarters – Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN) as a subordinate unified command under U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and renamed the command to Department of Defense Cyber Defense Command (DCDC) in a May 28 memo to force.
This action was taken in accordance with section 1502 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 118-159) and aligns with the 2025 Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance to prioritize the command's secure, operate, and defend the DoDIN mission and enable U.S. Military Forces to deliver lethal effects when and where most needed.
According to Lt. Gen. Paul T. Stanton, Commanding General of DCDC, the elevation of DCDC to a subordinate unified command is a recognition of the vital importance of its mission to lead unified action in the security, operations, and defense of the DoDIN, one of DoD’s most critical strategic assets.
“Elevating to a sub-unified command further expands our mission to focus on proactive thinking and ways to synchronize our efforts to deliver relevant capabilities to our warfighters,” Stanton said. “Our success is not reached by being reactionary, it will be the ability to rapidly incorporate diverse intelligence to find and fix the enemy and allow a seamless transition to offensive cyber operations.”
The elevation is about increasing readiness and resiliency of the DoDIN and those forces who conduct network operations, security, and defense activities in the face of the rapid pace of technological advances and the increasing abilities of cyber adversaries, Stanton added.
DoD Cyber Defense Command is the U.S. Cyber Command component that leads DoD’s unified force approach to network operations, security, and defense across the Department of Defense Information Network, commonly known as the DODIN. This global command and control responsibility underpinning all DoD missions works to ensure mission assurance and bolster DoD’s competitive advantage. The Command’s mission covers a broad range of activities on behalf of U.S. Cyber Command including proactive, threat-informed steps to reduce cyber risk across the DODIN, and leading response to attacks against the DODIN to ensure network operations remain agile and resilient. The DCDC commander, Lt. Gen Paul T. Stanton, is dual-hatted as the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).