: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 09:14 AM
Washington. The Pentagon described cyber security and digital networks as central to today’s war strategy. The Pentagon told senators that the entire digital system of the US military, such as communications networks, data systems and cyber infrastructure, has now become a weapons system. This is vital for the US military to fight, decide and win future wars. At a meeting of the US Senate Armed Services Cyber Subcommittee, Defense Department Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davis said the US military is making large-scale changes to its enterprise IT and cybersecurity systems to gain operational edge. “Our focus is on achieving data edge and decision-making excellence in the complex battlefields of today and tomorrow, at the speed and scale our soldiers deserve,” Davis said. At the same time, Chairman Mike Rounds also emphasized this need and warned that old systems and slow processes have now become a strategic threat. He said, “The ability to understand the situation, take decisions and take action faster than the enemy will decide the outcome of the coming major war.”
Davis outlined a four-pillar transformation strategy aimed at modernizing networks, accelerating software delivery, strengthening cybersecurity and building a skilled workforce. Under the first pillar, he said the Pentagon is upgrading its core infrastructure, including undersea cables, fiber networks and satellite communications. Along with this, the use of 5G is increasing and making the data center modern. “This foundation supports every warfighting system and our global installation,” he said. The second pillar focuses on moving away from legacy software systems.
Davis said the department is “moving from slow legacy software development to modern agile delivery” and is working to standardize data architecture to speed decision-making. Regarding cyber security, he said that the Pentagon is moving away from “checklist driven compliance” towards a more dynamic, risk-based model with constant monitoring and automation. “We will focus on reducing risk rather than increasing paperwork,” he said.
Lieutenant General Paul Stanton heads the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency and the Department of Defense Cyber Defense Command. He said that the network itself should work like a warfighting system. “We must deliver the right data to the right place at the right time, so our commanders can make better and faster decisions than our adversaries,” he said.
Stanton said the military already operates under real-world stress. “We are at war and conducting Operation Epic Fury right now,” he said. He explained how teams monitor the network in real time, reroute traffic, and rapidly implement new solutions when systems are disrupted. He emphasized that additional options have been built into the system to ensure its robustness.
“When we go into battle, we do not rely on any single capability,” he said. He also noted that the Pentagon relies on a mix of ground, undersea and satellite-based communications. Lawmakers expressed concern about the Pentagon’s aging infrastructure and increasing technical debt.
Rounds said years of underinvestment have created a “problem of excessive technical debt” that adversaries are taking advantage of. Davis acknowledged the challenge and said the purpose of the major change was to “reduce technical debt” and eliminate deficiencies, as well as accelerate modernization. Tension over supply chain risk and artificial intelligence also came to the fore in the hearing.
Senator Jack Reed pressed the department on its decision to label Anthropic a supply chain risk and to order its removal from the DOW system within 180 days. Davis said the matter is currently pending in court, so he declined to provide further details in the open session. However, he confirmed that the system would continue to be used during the transition period.
He also said that to maintain flexibility, the Pentagon has designed its data architecture in such a way that it can work with multiple AI systems. Lawmakers also pushed for reforms to the software approval process and cloud computing.
Davis said the department is working to simplify its “right to operate” framework and expand its Joint Warfighting Cloud capability into a more integrated marketplace to improve visibility and security. For the Pentagon, the change represents a sea change in the way wars are fought.
Military leaders are increasingly seeing networks, data and software as critical tools that connect sensors, commanders and weapons on the battlefield. Officials warned that delaying modernization could give an advantage to adversaries who are already exploiting vulnerabilities in U.S. systems. –
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Web Title-The Pentagon has described cybersecurity and digital networks as weapons of modern warfare.
