The Trump administration intends to allocate $1 billion over the next four years to “offensive cyber operations” through the Department of Defense.

The provision in Trump’s groundbreaking One Big Beautiful Bill does not specify the nature of the “offensive cyber operations” or the specific tools or software that would qualify.

The budget does acknowledge that the funds will be allocated to the enhancement and improvement of the U.S.’s capabilities.

The Indo-Pacific Command is responsible for operations in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes China, the United States’ largest geopolitical adversary.

The decision to allocate one billion dollars to cyber security coincides with the recent passage of a law that also reduced the U.S.’ cyber defense budget by one billion. This development occurs amid the ongoing cyber threats emanating from China.

Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat and a long-standing member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that the provision is also timely, as the Trump administration has reduced funding for defensive cybersecurity programs, including the U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA and its budget.

The termination of 130 employees was deemed unlawful by a federal court, after which the cuts were only partially reversed.

Wyden stated in an email to TechCrunch that the Trump administration has reduced financing for cybersecurity and government technology, thereby leaving our country vulnerable to attacks by foreign hackers.

“The substantial expansion of U.S. government hacking will result in retaliation, not only against federal agencies but also against rural hospitals, local governments, and private companies that are vulnerable to nation-state hackers.”

The term “offensive cyber operations” refers to a diverse array of targeted hacks against U.S. adversaries.

These hacks may involve the use of zero-day exploits, which are software vulnerabilities that enable their operators to exploit a target’s device, or the deployment of spyware, which can be used to steal data from an individual.

However, these operations may also encompass more mundane components that are necessary to facilitate those operations, such as the establishment of the infrastructure required to conduct intrusions, intelligence gathering, and the acquisition or collection of internet traffic (known as “netflow”), among others.