Acting to counter Russia’s aggressive use of cyberattacks across Europe and around the world, the US is expected to announce that, if asked, it would use its formidable cyberwarfare capabilities on NATO’s behalf, a senior US official said.
The announcement is expected in the coming days as US Secretary of Defense James Mattis attends a meeting of NATO defense ministers yesterday and today.
Katie Wheelbarger, the US principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said the US is committing to use offensive and defensive cyberoperations for NATO allies, but it would maintain control over its own personnel and capabilities.
The decision comes on the heels of the NATO summit in July, when members agreed to allow the alliance to use cybercapabilities that are provided voluntarily by allies to protect networks and respond to cyberattacks.
It reflects growing concerns by the US and its allies over Moscow’s use of cyberoperations to influence elections in the US and elsewhere.
“Russia is constantly pushing its cyber and information operations,” Wheelbarger said, adding that this is a way for the US to show its continued commitment to NATO.
She told reporters that the move is a signal to other nations that NATO is prepared to counter cyberattacks waged against the alliance or its members.
Much like the US’ nuclear capabilities, the formal declaration of cybersupport can help serve as a military deterrent to other nations and adversaries.
The US has for some time considered cyber as a war-fighting domain, much like air, sea, space and ground operations.
The Pentagon has released a new cybersecurity strategy that maps out a more aggressive use of military cybercapabilities that specifically calls out Russia and China for their use of cyberattacks.
China has been “persistently” stealing data from the public and private sectors to gain an economic advantage, the strategy said, adding that Russia has used cyberinformation operations to “influence our population and challenge our diplomatic processes.”
“We will conduct cyberspace operations to collect intelligence and prepare military cybercapabilities to be used in the event of a crisis or conflict,” the strategy said, adding that the US is prepared to use cyberwarfare along with other military weapons against its enemies when needed, including to counter malicious cyberactivities targeting the country.
The document added that the Pentagon would “work to strengthen the capacity” of allies and partners.
NATO has moved cautiously on offensive cybercapabilities. At the Warsaw Summit in 2016, allies recognized cyberspace as a war-fighting domain. It has said that a computer-based attack on an ally would trigger NATO’s commitment to defend its members, and last year, the alliance agreed to create a new cyberoperations center.
However, the focus has always been on defending NATO networks and those of its members, not offensive cyberwar.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday said that the defense ministers would have a working session this week to address cyber and other risks, and how allies can cooperate to counter such threats. He did not provide details.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese