Military cyber operations being reorganized

FILE - This June 6, 2013, file photo shows the National Security Administration (NSA) campus in Fort Meade, Md., where the US Cyber Command is located. U.S. officials say the Trump administration, after months of delay, is finalizing plans to revamp the nation's military command for defensive and offensive cyber-operations. The plan would eventually split it from the intelligence-focused National Security Agency in hopes of intensifying America's ability to wage cyber war against the Islamic State group and other foes.(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) less FILE - This June 6, 2013, file photo shows the National Security Administration (NSA) campus in Fort Meade, Md., where the US Cyber Command is located. U.S. officials say the Trump administration, after months ... more Photo: Patrick Semansky, Associated Press Photo: Patrick Semansky, Associated Press Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Military cyber operations being reorganized 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

WASHINGTON — After months of delay, the Trump administration is finalizing plans to revamp the nation’s military command for defensive and offensive cyber operations in hopes of intensifying America’s ability to wage cyberwar against the Islamic State group and other foes, according to U.S. officials.

Under the plans, U.S. Cyber Command would eventually be split off from the intelligence-focused National Security Agency. Details are still being worked out, but officials say they expect a decision and announcement in the coming weeks. The officials requested anonymity.

The goal, they said, is to give U.S. Cyber Command more autonomy, freeing it from any constraints that stem from working alongside the NSA, which is responsible for monitoring and collecting telephone, internet and other intelligence data from around the world — a responsibility that can sometimes clash with military operations against enemy forces.

Making cyber an independent military command will put the fight in digital space on the same footing as more traditional realms of battle on land, in the air, at sea and in space. The move reflects the escalating threat of cyberattacks and intrusions from other nation states, terrorist groups and hackers, and comes as the U.S. faces ever-widening fears about Russian hacking following Moscow’s efforts to meddle in the 2016 American election.

The U.S. has long operated quietly in cyberspace, using it to collect information, disrupt enemy networks and aid conventional military missions. But as other nations and foes expand their use of cyberspying and attacks, the U.S. is determined to improve its ability to incorporate cyber operations into its everyday war fighting.

The two highly secretive organizations, based at Fort Meade, Md., have been under the same four-star commander since Cyber Command’s creation in 2009.

But the Defense Department has been agitating for a separation, perceiving the NSA and intelligence community as resistant to more aggressive cyberwarfare, particularly after the Islamic State’s transformation in recent years from an obscure insurgent force into an organization holding significant territory across Iraq and Syria and with a worldwide recruiting network.

While the military wanted to attack Islamic State networks, intelligence objectives prioritized gathering information from them, according to U.S. officials familiar with the debate.

Lolita C. Baldor is an Associated Press writer.