France will form its own cyber-army next month, called Cybercom, to fight against foreign intruders in its systems. Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France plans to invest 2.1 billion euros and hire more than 2,600 experts to form a dedicated research team dedicated exclusively to cyber attacks.
“The emergence of a new modern era of warfare should make us all think about how we understand the art of war,” Jean-Yves Le Drian said. This statement led many to believe that France did not create the army just to protect itself from future attacks but as a weapon against the systems of rival countries.
In a subsequent statement, the Minister confirmed the rumors, saying that the army will have the ability to breach enemy systems and networks, causing temporary damage, service suspensions or permanent neutralization. Any country that attempts to breach its systems will be treated as an enemy.
Cybercom engineers will be specially trained to be able to immediately identify intruders and to neutralize foreign military networks that threaten the country.
France is one of the countries deciding to invest a fortune in security issues after the turmoil created by the US- Russia over the issue of cyber violations. For those who don't remember, it all started with America accusing Russia of cyber attacks during this year's election campaign and continued with Russia claiming that its state-owned banks are being targeted by the rival country.
