Pentagon to increase focus on cyber security of arms programs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cyber attacks on U.S. weapons programs and manufacturers are a "pervasive" problem that requires greater attention, the top U.S. arms buyer said Thursday, saying that he would add cyber security to new acquisition guidelines for the industry.

"It’s about the security of our weapons systems themselves and everything that touches them. It’s a pervasive problem and I think we have to pay a lot more attention to it," Kendall told Reuters after a speech to the American Society of Naval Engineers in Washington.

Kendall said he planned to add cyber security to the next phase of his "better buying power" initiative, and was also working on a special section on cyber security requirements to be added to the Pentagon's guideline for buying weapons systems.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)