U.S. Cyber Command Task Force Conducted Its First Offensive Operation Last Year

Personnel with the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group monitor cyberattacks on the operations floor, known as the Hunter's Den. USAF/Joseph Eddins  

Warzone/The Drive: Cyber Command Task Force Conducted Its First Offensive Operation As The Secretary Of Defense Watched  

The operation is another sign of the rapidly evolving nature of warfare in the digital domain and the future importance of offensive cyber operations. 

A U.S. Cyber Command task force executed what is being described as its “first offensive cyber effect operation” against real-world cyber threats. While the exact nature of the operation and its target remains unknown, the event was significant enough for the U.S. Secretary of Defense to personally attend to watch the operation in action. 

The operation was conducted between February and August 2021 by a task force consisting of personnel from the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Cyber Operations Group, the Delaware Air National Guard’s 166th Cyber Operations Squadron, U.S. Navy’s Cyber Strike Activity Sixty-Three, the U.S. Air Force’s 341st Cyber Operations Squadron, and the Air Force Reserve. The task force executed the operation from February to August last year, although the Air National Guard (ANG) just announced it this week. While there have been other offensive cyber operations conducted by U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), this is the first conducted and acknowledged by this particular task force.  

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WNU Editor: Was this Cyber Command operation targeting Iran? .... ‘Cyber-attack’ hits Iran’s transport ministry and railways (The Guardian).