This is the new ultimate cyber warrior of the Swiss army

Colonel in the General Staff Simon Müller will lead the army’s cyber defense command, which will be active from 2024, and will be promoted to general. The 46-year-old graduate physicist is currently deputy project manager of the new organization.

The Federal Council appointed Müller as the new Chief Cyber ​​Command on Wednesday. The mission-oriented, military command will replace the current Army Command Support Base (FUB) on January 1, 2024.

Worked as a consultant in the defense industry

After graduating from high school, Müller studied at ETH Zurich, graduating in 2002 with a degree in physics. In 2003 he enlisted in the Air Force in Payerne VD as a temporary soldier and then completed the career officer diploma course. As of 2010, he held several senior military posts.

From 2013 to 2014 he worked as a consultant for Thales Suisse SA. Müller has been involved in the implementation of the new cyber command for more than two years.

The cyber defense command, operational from 2024, will perform key military functions in situational awareness, cyber defense, information and communications technology, command support, encryption and electronic warfare.

Increased cyber attacks

According to a 2021 Federal Council message, the number of targeted cyberattacks against strategically relevant targets has risen sharply. The existing cyber forces need more personnel, more training and more cooperation with other countries.

In May 2019, Switzerland became a member of the Cyber ​​Attack Defense Center (CCDCOE) in Tallinn, Estonia. This gave the competent authorities access to the knowledge and information, as well as research and training activities, of the NATO Defense Centre.

Sources

(dsc/sda)