Signal Pentagon Cyber Defense Command Drafting Plan to Defend Critical Infrastructure

Summary

The Pentagon's Defense Cyber Defense Command (DCDC), formerly known as Joint Force Headquarters-DoD Information Network, was elevated to a sub-unified command under US Cyber Command in May 2025. Col. Adolph Rodriguez, director of Defense Critical Infrastructure at DCDC, is building a "Joint Task Force Defense of Critical Infrastructure" framework intended to coordinate responses across CISA, the FBI, the Coast Guard, and the Department of Defense. The team is developing "digital green zones" to identify which systems require protection and establish baseline data metrics for threat detection. Planning centers on maintaining operations before, during, and after an attack, drawing on existing NORTHCOM authorities alongside Cyber Command capabilities and mirroring protocols from natural disaster and terrorism response. The initiative responds in part to the Chinese hacking group Volt Typhoon, which has been found targeting US critical infrastructure in a shift from espionage toward holding infrastructure at risk. The plan proceeds even as CISA faces budget reductions.