Melding both defensive and offensive missions under the same command will allow for better threat preparedness, he said. A unified command also increases the "potential for interoperability and both process sharing and real time information sharing among the services," Paller said.

He said the only downside is the possibility that the cybercommand will "so militarize the Information Assurance Division of NSA" that it could negatively impact the public-private partnerships that are so important for security.