Pentagon’s Cyber Defense Command drafting plan to defend critical infrastructure

A Connecticut National Guard soldier practices cyber defense skills during Cyber Yankee 2026 at Camp Nett in Niantic, Conn., May 11, 2026. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Emmanuel Gibson)

By Mark Pomerleau • Jun 05, 2026

The Pentagon’s newest cyber organization, the Defense Cyber Defense Command (DCDC), is working to build out a framework for how to respond to cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in the homeland, according to a military official.

“I’m currently assigned there to build out a [Joint Task Force Defense of Critical Infrastructure] framework and command and control footprint, because the most important thing, besides understanding the technology, the people, the processes, is who’s in control, who’s executing, what’s the common rail amongst all the authorizations that we have between CISA, FBI, Coast Guard, Department of War writ large,” Col. Adolph Rodriguez, director of Defense Critical Infrastructure at the DCDC, said at the TechNet Cyber conference Wednesday.

DCC, formerly the Joint Force Headquarters-DoD Information Network, was elevated to a sub-unified command under U.S. Cyber Command in May 2025.