The Army Dec. 19 said Cyber Command (ARCYBER) Headquarters will be located at Fort Gordon, Ga., consolidating and coordinating Army cyber and network operations under one commander for the first time in its history.
“Cyber threats are real, sophisticated, growing, and evolving,” said ARCYBER’s commanding general, Lt. Gen. Edward Cardon. “The Army’s decision demonstrates support for unity of command and the importance of cyber to our Army and our nation.”
Cost and operational reasons drove the Army’s selection of Fort Gordon as the permanent location for ARCYBER Headquarters.
Since its 2010 creation, ARCYBER has been temporarily split-located in seven government buildings and leased space across the national capital region. The move to Fort Gordon will co-locate ARCYBER Headquarters with the Army’s Joint Forces Headquarters-Cyber and NSA-Georgia, placing the Army’s operational cyber headquarters with the majority of its cyber mission forces. It will require 150 fewer personnel than other potential sites, as well as reduce military construction requirements and costs by 23 percent less than other considered options.
Establishing the Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon will begin by aligning Army cyber proponency within Army Training and Doctrine Command, creating institutional unity and a focal point for cyber doctrine and capabilities development, training and innovation.
Before selecting Fort Gordon, the Army evaluated its ability to support U.S. Cyber Command-directed missions and other operational factors such as installation capacity, environmental impacts, and human resource considerations. Community input was also solicited and considered through an environmental assessment public comment period conducted in the fall.
ARCYBER will continue to have a command liaison element co-located with U.S. Cyber Command at Fort George G. Meade, Md.