Joint Cyber Center: command and control in the USTRANSCOM cyber domain

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – In June 2012, in recognition of cyberspace as a warfighting domain, the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) formed the Joint Cyber Center (JCC) based on a Department of Defense effort to  standardize cyberspace operations command and control. 

According to Col. David ‘DJ’ Johnson, USTRANSCOM JCC chief, the JCC is a command and control center enabling the transportation mission in the cyberspace domain at the strategic and operational level. 

The JCC mission is to oversee all aspects of USTRANSCOM cyberspace operations along three lines of effort:  offensive cyberspace operations, defensive cyberspace operations and DOD information networks operations.  The team provides USTRANSCOM with global cyber situational awareness, operationally relevant cyber intelligence, and seamless integration of cyber warfare capabilities across the USTRANSCOM mission.      

The JCC team is a consolidation of cyber personnel from the Intelligence (J2), Operations and Plans (J3) and Command, Control, Communication and Cyber Systems (J6) directorates.  Together, the team forms a fused organization linking cyber intelligence, operations, plans and readiness.  JCC members are assigned to these three directorates, but JCC falls under the operational control of the J3, said Johnson. 

Since the consolidation, the JCC mission focus has been integrating cyberspace operations into command operations and planning processes, identifying the key cyber terrain to accomplish the mission, and mitigating threats through a combination of procedural and technical solutions.

“The JCC accomplishes its mission by working with the USTRANSCOM staff and transportation component commands as well as the command’s civil and military partners, including U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Strategic Command, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies,” said Johnson.

"This partnership continues to be the key to USTRANSCOM's success in defending our cyber domain.  The JCC takes us a step further to operationalize cyber and ensures our operational mission remains a critical decision factor to any defensive cyberspace action we take." said Col. Gary D. Haines, J6 Operations and Readiness Division.

The JCC ensures USTRANSCOM cyber domain mission accomplishment by maintaining the integrity, availability and confidentiality of the cyber capabilities and the information USTRANSCOM requires to conduct operations. 

"The JCC is key to USTRANSCOM’s success in defending our cyber domain.  Since being established, the team works to identify possible cyber threats to USTRANSCOM operations and address each of these threats and assess operational impact in close collaboration with our mission partners,” Johnson said.

The command relocated the Cyber Operations Center, formerly the Global C4 Coordination Center, into the Fusion Center and remaining elements of the  team into the Joint Intelligence Operation Center in December 2012.

The JCC achieved full operational capability in January 2013 and is prepared to support the command’s operational and planning efforts to ensure that “Together, We Deliver,” said Johnson.

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