The Next Generation of Warfare

A cyber risk to the U.S.

If this doesn't scare you, I don't know what will.

Though the Pentagon has a cybercommand, it does not cover the domestic civilian economy, including vital infrastructure systems such as the electric power grid, water supplies and the financial system. Many of the computers controlling those utilities lack adequate security measures and could be devastated by viruses launched by hostile states or even hackers. As it is, U.S. companies, from defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin to e-mail carriers such as Google, are under continual assault from China and Russia, which seek to steal industrial or national security secrets and probe for infrastructure weaknesses.

Unfortunately, instead of more adequately funding programs that can protect the U.S. from cyber attack, our elected leaders continue to choose to fund wasteful programs like the Joint Strike Fighter, dubbed The Wild Blue Squander by The New York Times.  Here is a GAO chart illustrating the cost history of the Joint Strike Fighter:

Why the United States will lose a Cyber War

Unfortunately for Western nations, synchronicity has its origins in the East. Western nations have a tradition in causality, not synchronicity. And the U.S. Defense Department is deeply grounded in traditional western thinking and practicality. The decision to call cyberspace a domain was based on organizational necessity. That’s how the Defence Department is set up. It’s how budgets are created and funds distributed. It’s how contracts get assigned. Simply put, it’s how things get done at the Pentagon. This is why the United States will lose a war fought in cyberspace. A strategic doctrine built upon a flawed vision can’t yield a victory against an adversary whose knowledge of the battle space is superior to our own.

U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team

The report released last week by the DHS inspector general reveals an institution that is floundering. CERT is understaffed, with no capacity to do anything other than process data for anomalies and react to breaches after the fact with fixes it has no authority to enforce. Among the report's findings: Of the 98 positions authorized for the emergency readiness team, only 45 are filled, forcing it to rely on outside contractors to perform even basic functions such as updating operating procedures.

After seven years, CERT still lacks a strategic plan, goals or any performance measures to assess its progress. Making its role as the nation's ostensible first line of cyber defense still more difficult is the fact that it has no authority to ensure that any of its safety recommendations are implemented, even by the other federal agencies it is charged with protecting. Many partner agencies reported not receiving any instructions for CERT's primary monitoring software, making it difficult for them to access information about threats.

China dominates NSA-backed coding contest

Is COIN losing its academic focus?

Crossposted to Attackerman:

I have maintained for quite some time that COIN, now that we know at least what it is and attempt to put its principles into action, is yesterday’s war. See Into the Fifth Generation…

If academia has her hands on the topic, it already is old news on the war front. For the most part, many academics are not fighting in today’s wars (for comments on the academia-military divide in America see Why We Should Get Rid of West Point and ROTC and the Ivies). Academics read accounts that are old, come up with ideas to counteract old problems, and are not as focused on the future as they should be… especially since our enemies are always adapting. In my view, the Ph.D.s in the ivory tower should be attempting to figure out what the next move our adaptable enemies are going to make. I am willing to bet 5GW will be a war on our technology… as I stated in October 2008, “perhaps we should be focusing on the emerging threat of cyber war or other possible forms of war as we leap into the Fifth Generation?”

Finally, I leave you with a link to a post I wrote in June 2008 about cyber war and how vulnerable we are -
Cyberspace Wars: Militarization of Virtual Front.

Cyber-Command Update

A Pentagon Cyber-Command is in the Works

This idea has good intentions, but how is adding another level of bureaucracy going to help this situation? The key is to place emphasis on cyber-warfare within the existing commands. The key is to recruit competent soldiers and officers who have computer knowledge. The key is to prepare for 5GW throughout the entire DoD. How is having another four-star general with no real command authority over troops going to help the situation? Here is an excerpt from the article:

The Obama administration is finalizing plans for a new Pentagon command to coordinate the security of military computer networks and to develop new offensive cyber-weapons, sources said last night.

Planning for the reorganization of Defense Department and intelligence agencies is underway, and a decision is imminent, according to a person familiar with the White House plans...

One question is whether the new command's leader would be a military commander with a four-star rank. The NSA is currently led by Army Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, who has three stars.

News of the proposal comes on the heels of a 60-day White House review of cybersecurity efforts. Federal agency deputies are expected to meet Friday to consider the recommendations of the review team.

Into the Fifth Generation...

If it hasn't been clear for quite some time, counterinsurgency is "back in vogue," yet, at the same time, yesterday's war... I'm happy to see even Abu M is starting to expand his posting repertoire beyond yesterday's war. The minute we start to adapt to a type of warfare, it is already out the door. Perhaps more of our military budget will focus on combating cyber attack (5GW) and lessening our dependence on technology in the war zone; just a thought.

Georgia accuses Russia of waging 'cyber war'

Georgia's accusations come on the heels of Estonia's accusations from May 2007. Obviously, cyber war is going to be a major part of any conflict in the future and will be used to degrade communications. These facts combined with millions of cyber attacks waged on the United States by China each day highlight another American achilles heel now that we seem to be getting a little better at counterinsurgency... perhaps we should spend more on cyber war defensive and offensive measures, rather than Star Wars or the Joint Strike Fighter pictured above.

UPDATE (August 13, 2008): Before the Gunfire, Cyberattacks