U.S. military pushes for offensive cyber warfare capabilities

Igniting a provocative new debate, senior military officials are pushing the Pentagon to go on the offensive in cyberspace by developing the ability to attack other nations’ computer systems, rather than concentrating on defending America’s electronic security. Under the most sweeping proposals, military experts would acquire the know-how to commandeer the unmanned aerial drones of adversaries, disable enemy warplanes in mid-flight, and cut off electricity at precise moments to strategic locations, such as military installations, while sparing humanitarian facilities, such as hospitals.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Juilan Barnes writes that an expansion of offensive capabilities in cyberspace would represent an important change for the military. For years, U.S. officials have been reluctant to militarize what is widely seen as a medium for commerce and communication — much like space. A new National Military Strategy for Cyberspace Operations, declassified earlier this year, fueled the Pentagon debate and gave the military a green light to push for expanded capabilities. The debate took on added urgency after the electronic attacks that coincided with the Russian military’s push into Georgia in early August and reflects a newfound uncertainty over the state of global cyber-warfare capabilities.

Military officials have not concluded whether the electronic network attacks in Georgia were coordinated by Russia or were the work of freelance hackers or paramilitary groups (“cyber militias”). Still, the use of cyberspace by Russia and other countries is drawing intense scrutiny by the Pentagon.

“As we go forward in time, cyber is going to be a very important part of our war-fighting tactics, techniques and procedures,” said Michael Wynne, a former Air Force secretary. Under Wynne, the Air Force established a provisional Cyber Command in 2007 and made operating in the cyber domain part of its mission statement. Wynne clashed with superiors over the Air Force approach to cyberspace and other issues and was fired in June after breakdowns in U.S. nuclear weapons security procedures.

New Air Force leaders are reassessing plans for a permanent Cyber Command, which under Wynne’s leadership would have included some offensive capabilities. Most other U.S. efforts focus on defending military and government networks and mining international systems for intelligence. The Army and Navy have long-standing operations but primarily focus on intelligence gathering. The Army, in particular, has used a variety of electronic networks to gather intelligence on insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Citing Russia’s use of cyberspace, some current and former Pentagon officials say that the U.S. military services, if allowed, could move beyond intelligence gathering and develop an array of offensive capabilities that would fit well with conventional combat. If the military is allowed to develop more advanced cyber-warfare methods, the United States would be able to launch an airstrike at a target and simultaneously use an electronic attack to disable defenses or spread disinformation, Wynne said. “It isn’t just about protecting your networks,” Wynne said. “It is about having a soldier with an invasive tool he can fire at an antenna and put some information into it and from there do some damage.”