US Army to stand up second expeditionary cyber battalion within months

The Army will soon double the number of battalions it uses to train and deploy expeditionary cyberspace and electromagnetic warfare teams, according to the service.

Lt. Gen. Christopher Eubank, head of Army Cyber Command, provided an approximate timeline for the new unit during a Monday appearance at the Association of the United States Army conference in Washington. The battalion will be devoted to the same mission as the 11th Cyber Battalion, known as the Leviathans.

"It should start standing up in earnest within the next couple months, and it will be an exact replica of the 11th Cyber Warfare Battalion," Eubank said.

According to the Cyber Command leader, the new battalion will achieve initial operating capability within the next year and will then work toward full operational capability.

Eubank noted that the battalion is currently working on behalf of Joint Task Force–Southern Border, providing radio frequency-enabled cyber effects as directed by the division commander.

Background on the 11th Cyber Battalion

The Leviathans were activated on October 16, 2022, as the first scalable expeditionary capability to handle the Army's current and future cyberspace objectives. The unit was built with the specific intention of rolling out non-lethal and non-kinetic effects that include cyberspace and electronic warfare assets.

Its previous iteration, the 915th Cyber Warfare Battalion, was activated on June 6, 2018, before being renamed during the 11th Cyber Battalion's activation.

At the time of the battalion's creation, the Army said it planned to have 12 expeditionary teams it could deploy under the 11th Cyber Battalion by September 2027. The service has labeled the battalion the first of its kind.

"Just as Gen. Patton led the modernization of tank warfare into WWII, the leaders and soldiers of the 11th Cyber Battalion spearhead concept development for the delivery of CEMA [cyber electromagnetic activity] combat power to the tactical edge of the contemporary battlefield," said Lt. Col. Lou Etienne, who led the 11th Cyber Battalion until June 25.

Recent Activities and Partnerships

Developers from 11th Cyber Command worked alongside the Cyber Solutions Development unit within the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade to develop new drone technology between July 2025 and July 2026. The partnership project was performed to support the Army's "Transforming in Contact" initiative, which delivers new unmanned technology to soldiers to track their feedback in real time as they utilize it in the field.

The 11th Cyber Battalion also participated in a demonstration at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, from August 5–8, simultaneously deploying three new Army technologies and proving their efficacy in diffusing electromagnetic threats from enemies.

About the Author

Riley Ceder is a Navy reporter at Military Times, where he covers issues directly affecting service members and their families, as well as breaking news.

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