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Government Security

China creates cyberwarfare unit

By Johanna Morden | 3 June 2011

China’s military last week unveiled an internet security task force that will defend confidential government information from cyber attacks.

The new cyberwarfare unit of China’s People’s Liberation Army will be composed of 30 persons, coined the ‘Blue Army’.

Tens of millions of Chinese Yuan of public funds were said to have been invested in the project.

“Cyber attacks have become an international problem affecting both civilian and military areas,” said Geng Yansheng, Spokesperson of China’s Ministry of National Defence.

He said the creation of the cyberwarfare unit was necessary due to China’s relatively weak cyber-security, compounded by regular targets by hackers.

“This temporary programme is aimed at improving our defences against such attacks,” he said.

The Blue Army falls under the Guangdong military command in Southern China. Cyberwarfare drills will be conducted to train and strengthen the unit.

The government has given annual double-digit increases to the Military’s budget over the last two decades in an effort to encourage the development of a more modern defence force that could win progressively high-tech wars.

China has followed in the steps of Australia, the US and the UK in setting up cyber-warfare units. Germany is slated to put up one of its own before the end of this year.

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