Iran to launch first cyber command

A senior Iranian military commander has announced plans to establish its first cyber command for the country’s Armed Forces in order to counter ‘soft warfare’ against the Islamic Republic.

Deputy Head of Iran’s Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri told reporters on Tuesday that comprehensive studies on the cyber command have already been carried out and the results will soon be rendered to the Iranian Armed Forces.

The Iranian commander also emphasized that Iran’s military forces must be equipped with state-of-the-art technology when it comes to soft warfare.

The remarks come as the Obama administration is actively engaged in the process of establishing a “shadow” internet and mobile phone systems throughout the world.

According to The New York Times, the American covert projects include the creation of independent cellphone networks in foreign countries, as well as the “Internet in a suitcase” program.

The establishment of independent cellphone networks would enable political dissidents to communicate outside the reach of governments in countries like Iran and Syria, according to the report.

“Internet in a suitcase” could also be secretly smuggled across a border and contains all the necessary hardware and networking devices to promptly establish a wireless network over a large area that can connect to the global Internet.

“Internet in a suitcase” is apparently in a prototype stage and the US government has provided a grant of USD two million to get it up and running.

In one of the most ambitious efforts, US officials say, the State Department and Pentagon have also spent at least USD 50 million to establish an independent cellphone network in using towers on protected military bases inside the country.

More recently, Washington has supported the development of software that preserves the anonymity of users in places such as China, and offers training to citizens that want to pass information through the internet without getting caught.