Story highlights Currently, Cyber Command falls under US Strategic Command

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain welcomed the move

(CNN) President Donald Trump on Friday elevated the US military's Cyber Command, which oversees the defense of the military's information networks and conducts offensive cyber-operations, putting it on the same level as other combatant commands that operate in the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere.

"The elevation of United States Cyber Command demonstrates our increased resolve against cyberspace threats and will help reassure our allies and partners and deter our adversaries," Trump said in a statement announcing the move.

Currently, Cyber Command falls under US Strategic Command, which also oversees US space operations, global strike and global missile defense. The elevation will mean the head of Cyber Command will eventually report directly to the secretary of defense.

While Cyber Command has historically been primarily focused on defending the military's cyber-infrastructure, it has recently taken on a role in offensive operations.

In February 2016, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the command's offensive cyber-effort was focused primarily on ISIS terrorists in Syria, the goal of which was to "overload their network so that they can't function" and "interrupt their ability to command and control forces there, control the population and the economy."

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