US Cyber Command senior enlisted leader: Data is the currency of warfare

Joint Base San Antonio

U.S. Cyber Command Senior Enlisted Leader Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kenneth Bruce warned that adversaries are targeting military logistics data to map operational intentions, declaring data the primary currency of modern warfare. Speaking to the Defense Logistics Agency, Bruce emphasized that securing supply chain data is critical to national defense.

The defense network currently faces relentless exploitation attempts, enduring approximately 750,000 traffic events per minute that invite hundreds of thousands of malicious attacks. To counter these persistent threats, the National Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center is actively partnering with the defense industrial base to harden vulnerable networks. Furthermore, adversaries like China are expanding beyond traditional hacking into cognitive warfare to manipulate public perception through media and social platforms. To address recruitment challenges and technological shifts, the command is leveraging National Guard talent and preparing for a future where artificial intelligence agents augment human analysts.

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Adversaries targeting the Defense Logistics Agency exploit the highly centralised nature of American global military distribution networks. This vulnerability exposes the operational timeline of combatant commands long before physical deployment begins. Intercepting bulk fuel allocations or medical supply orders within these logistics networks allows hostile intelligence services to map the deployment schedules of forward-deployed carrier strike groups. Consequently, the integration of commercial freight carriers into the Civil Reserve Air Fleet and military sealift operations creates an expansive, unclassified attack surface.

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