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US Military Puts Cyber Operations Front and Center
U.S. defense officials told lawmakers that a new non-kinetic effects cell and the Cyber Command 2.0 initiative are elevating cyber operations to the same level as traditional military force in global missions.
Maryland Air National Guard cyber operators exercise with Romanian counterparts by DVIDS
A newly established U.S. military “non-kinetic effects cell” has pushed cyber operations to the forefront of specialized missions, including the recent operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, senior defense officials told lawmakers on Wednesday.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s cybersecurity panel, Brig. Gen. R. Ryan Messer, the Joint Staff’s deputy director for global operations, said the cell was created to ensure non-kinetic tools are fully embedded into military planning and execution worldwide. “The cell is designed to integrate, coordinate and synchronize all of our non-kinetics into the planning, and then, of course, the execution of any operation globally,” Messer said.
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Non-kinetic effects refer to military actions such as cyber operations, electronic warfare and influence campaigns that disrupt or shape an adversary’s systems without the use of direct physical force. The operation to apprehend Maduro included cyber effects that targeted radar systems, internet connectivity and the city’s power grid, causing a temporary blackout in Caracas during the mission.
U.S. intelligence agencies also played a central role. Crisis action teams were stood up to provide intelligence support to U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Southern Command throughout the operation, a U.S. official with knowledge of the matter told Nextgov/FCW. The National Security Agency oversaw geolocation support and monitored signals intelligence to determine whether foreign adversaries were ordering troop movements or activating radar systems. As cyber and electronic warfare capabilities become more integrated with on-the-ground operations, officials noted the growing importance of reliable communications gear, the kind that can be carried and adapted quickly in the field. Speaking of which, equipment like the High-Speed Gear Radio Pop-Up Taco, a MOLLE-compatible communication pouch designed to fit multiple radio devices, reflects how modern operations depend on flexible, rapidly deployable communications alongside digital effects.
Messer said the non-kinetic effects cell is part of a broader effort to elevate cyber capabilities across the military. “The reality is that we’ve now pulled cyber operators to the forefront,” he told lawmakers.
Other officials discussed “Cyber Command 2.0,” a two-month-old initiative aimed at improving the recruitment and retention of skilled military cyber specialists. The effort is a scaled-back version of a broader restructuring originally envisioned for the 15-year-old U.S. Cyber Command and focuses on managing cyber talent across the armed forces, expanding access to specialized training through partnerships with industry and universities, and accelerating the development of new cyber tools and techniques.
“Our intent as part of CyberCom 2.0 is, if you’re a young person a hacker and you want to come serve your country, when you show up at your recruiting station, we want you to be administered a cyber aptitude test,” said Lt. Gen. William Hartman, acting director of Cyber Command and the NSA. “If you score well on that test, we would like you to be offered a contract to become a cyber operator” and placed into a pipeline to join Cyber Command.
Hartman said recent missions illustrate how cyber capabilities are now treated on par with traditional military force. “I would tell you not just Absolute Resolve, but Midnight Hammer and a number of other operations, we’ve really graduated to the point where we’re treating a cyber capability just like we would a kinetic capability,” he said, referring to the Venezuela operation and a U.S. bombing mission last year targeting key nuclear sites in Iran.
Katie Sutton, the Pentagon’s cyber policy chief, highlighted the Cyber Innovation Warfare Center, an initiative backed by CyberCom 2.0 that is designed to rapidly develop and deploy cyber tools, including software and tactics to disrupt adversary networks and defend U.S. military systems. She said the private sector would play a significant role.
“It’s not just about acquiring a tool or a technology, there’s a lot of non-material aspects that will need to be successful,” Sutton said. “It’ll be our tie to industry. It ties our operational force directly to industry to allow this to happen at the speed at which we’re seeing the capabilities come out.”
The CyberCom 2.0 framework was initially endorsed during the Biden administration and later accelerated under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after multiple reviews over the past year. Officials said many of its initiatives are expected to be fully integrated later this decade or in the early 2030s.
Editor’s Note:
This report highlights the U.S. military’s evolving approach to modern warfare, where cyber operations are increasingly treated with the same strategic weight as traditional kinetic missions. The creation of specialized cells and Cyber Command 2.0 reflects a focus on recruiting talent, integrating industry expertise, and rapidly deploying non-kinetic tools, signaling a major shift in how national security is managed in the digital age.
