Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, right, talks with Marine Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, left, and assistant Defense Department press secretary Carl Woog, second from left, before boarding a E-4B aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, before traveling to Brussels for a NATO defense ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Chip Somodevilla, Pool)
News Summary: Pentagon gears up vs cyberattacks
Published: 07:56:47 PM, Tue 12 March 2013 UTC
DIGITAL DEFENSE: The Defense Department is establishing cyber teams charged with carrying out offensive operations to combat the threat of an electronic assault on the United States.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: Cyberattacks could cause major damage and disruption to the country's electric grid and other vital infrastructure.
BACKGROUND: A senior military official says the government and companies need to take more aggressive steps to improve digital defenses. He didn't mention specific countries, but the Obama administration has also been escalating its criticism of cyber thefts by China.
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