Defending a new domain: The Pentagon's Cyberstrategy

Defending a new domain: The Pentagon's Cyberstrategy

William J. Lynn III writes about how the Pentagon is now working with the Department of Homeland Security to protect government networks and critical infrastructure and with the United States' closest allies to expand these defenses internationally.

Lynn describes the threat environment of cyberwarfare. He states that cyberwarfare is assymetric because it is cheap to use. Offense always has the upper-hand in cyberspace and according to Lynn, "[c]yberwarfare is like maneuver warfare, in that speed and agility matter most." Because of this, the United States needs to constantly improve its defenses.

Lynn also warns that cyber attacks can happen to critical infrastructure, not just the government or military. One example he uses is that Google lost intellectual property. In a sense, he uses the loss of intellectual property as evidence that our critical infrastructure could be taken over. Lynn continues to describe the cyber threat and then moves on to defense strategy.

Lynn publicly shares his opinions about cyberwar and cybersecurity often. This document, however, seems to focus heavily on the dangers of cyberwar and attacks.

September/October 2010