WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has selected Raytheon to be the prime contractor and integrator of the agency’s Network Security Development Division, the company announced Monday.
The NSD is responsible for the agency’s National Cybersecurity Protection System, which assists over 100 federal agencies against cybersecurity and theft.
Raytheon will be tasked with leading a team to both develop and support the NSD. Their contract with the DHS could amount to as high as $1 billion. Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services, says his company’s services are providing a critical need for the DHS.
“Today’s cyber threats are increasingly pervasive and serious,” Wajsgras said in a statement, “our government and private sector institutions require the best protection possible.”
Wajsgras went on to mention Raytheon has invested over 3.5 billion in recent years to enhance cybersecurity systems, and than cyberattakcs have increased an average of 66 percent between 2009 and 2014 worldwide.
Cyber security has become a top concern for the federal government, with U.S. officials several times pointing the finger to China, alleging their failure to prevent cyberattacks against U.S. government and private entities from occurring from within the country. U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) is recruiting from a pool of teenagers to bolster cyber defenses.
President Obama met with China President Xi Jingping earlier in September to discuss the matter.
Both leaders agreed that neither of their countries would “conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information for commercial advantage.”
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