The Pentagon is building a model of the Internet that will allow cyberwar games to be conducted, and it's expected to be ready by this time next year. Set up by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), the virtual test bed is known as the National Cyber Range and will cost an estimated $130 million. As reported by CNET News, one of the goals is the creation of a "system of networks and computers" that can be "rebooted after each simulation" so as to quickly test out various cyber-attack scenarios.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) was awarded a contract in 2009 for the initial development phase of the project, while Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory received a $24.7 million contract early last year for the second phase of the project. DARPA will reportedly pick one of the two organizations to operate the system.

Reports on the project's progress may help assuage jitters in the wake of recent high-profile cyber attacks and confirmation that China has an online warfare team of highly trained computer specialists.

For more:
- check out this article at Computerworld
- check out this article at CNET News

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