Army activates company to fill out cyber battalion
The Army officially activated the final company that’s part of the service’s unique cyber battalion.
Charlie Company — also known as Capybara Company — of the 11th Cyber Battalion (Leviathans) was activated in a ceremony July 11 at Fort Eisenhower, Georgia. The 11th Cyber Battalion, which sits beneath the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade under Army Cyber Command, provides tactical, on-the-ground cyber operations (mostly through radio-frequency effects), electronic warfare and information ops.
The Army descried the event as “momentous” given all subordinate units are now active.
“This signifies the final phases of our efforts to get to full build and achieve full mission capability. As the Army modernizes its capabilities and force structure to meet the threats and challenges of the future battlefield, Alpha, Bravo, and now, Charlie Company, with the support of HHC (Headquarters and Headquarters Company), stand ready to help the Army and the Joint Force win throughout the conflict continuum,” Lt. Col. Luis Etienne, commander of the 11th Cyber Battalion, said at the ceremony, according to a release.
With the activation of Charlie Company, the 11th Cyber Battalion has four companies with over 300 personnel total and five established expeditionary cyber and electromagnetic activities teams, according to the Army. These ECTs are designed to augment units upon request and are scalable. They’re expected to maneuver with units, plan tactical operations for commanders and conduct operations on the ground.
In the run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the service sent an ECT forward to Europe to support the Army’s regional theater headquarters, provide subject matter expertise in electronic warfare, information operations, defensive cyber and offensive cyber, and answer questions quickly. They were mostly conducting electronic protection functions, but there were also information ops execution personnel as well as planners.
The vision is to have a total of 12 ECTs by September 2027 — one for each active division in the Army — capable of providing offensive cyber capabilities, EW and information advantage functions.
The 11th Cyber Battalion was initially built out of the Army’s desire to have cyber support and capabilities at the corps and below level. Historically, cyber capabilities were typically held at higher authorities such as at the theater and joint level.
Following a pilot program to test the concept, the Army created the 915th Cyber Warfare Battalion, which evolved into the 11th Cyber Battalion, that was activated in October 2022.
Charlie Company will be unique within the battalion with ECTs providing so-called over-the-horizon, long-range effects and sensing with remote capabilities and infrastructure. The unit will address capability gaps for the Army as well as the joint force, serving as a bridge between the physical battlefield and the cyber mission force that conducts operations on behalf of U.S. Cyber Command, according to the Army.
Such a concept was always envisioned between these more tactically focused units that could provide proximal access for these high-end remote cyber operators and vice versa, especially as doctrine, concepts and authorities have evolved.
Alpha and Bravo companies will continue to focus on filling cyber and electromagnetic capability gaps at corps and below.
“Tactical, operational, or strategic, Leviathans, with the Capybaras now as valued members of the team, stand ready to deliver Cyber and EW combat power to the Army and Joint Force, and enable full-spectrum mission success,” Etienne said. “We are a one-of-a-kind unit in the Army with the best damn Soldiers the Army has to offer. Our Soldiers are smarter. Our Soldiers are faster. Our Soldiers are stronger. And now that we have the Capybaras on our right flank, we are ready to hold the line and enable mission success against any adversary or foe we face.”
