The Internet: War Zone for the United States

War: This term signifies that everything is planned. The United States recently finished presenting its “Cybersecurity Plan,” which considers the Internet an “operational domain” for all wars. The declaration of war was justified by the unveiling of 24,000 documents or archives that had been stolen by “foreign intruders” during a cyberattack this past March. The computers of a defense contractor were the target of that particular incident.

Therefore, the United States proposes to considerably increase the number of employees dedicated to this type of military confrontation. Nevertheless, some analysts believe that the plan is vague and nothing new, because in documents from 2008 the Pentagon affirmed that the Internet should be treated as an “armed enemy system” where the military should develop offensive capacities to “combat the net,” so that the government continues to function even if its critical systems are corrupted or shut down.

In 2010, under the direction of General Keith Alexander, Cyber Command was installed, which was supposed to implement this type of war. Now, the plan allows the Pentagon to organize, train and equip in cyberspace, which responds to the complaints of General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who will be leaving the position this summer. He considered the plans of the United States too predictable, deemed them purely defensive and said that they didn’t punish those who attack the information space systems of the United States.

Reflecting on the U.S. officials’ tendency to dramatize the facts to spread hysteria, and by doing so achieve objectives such as obtaining hefty budgets for programs, the new Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told the Senate, “The next Pearl Harbor that we confront could very well be a cyberattack that cripples” the bulwark of American power, financial systems and government.

In response, Major General Cartwright said that the United States should focus more on offensive measures than defensive ones. The military has always had the following procedure: Shoot, attack and strike first without a declaration of war.

Early this year Commander in Chief Barack Obama signed an executive order clarifying to what extent military commanders around the globe can execute cyberattacks and other computer-based operations against the enemy.

There are three areas that make up the new aggression strategy: the stealing or exploitation of facts, the attempt to deny or restrict access to U.S. military networks and the objective of destroying or degrading networks or connected systems. They are very nervous because the “majority of the information technology products used in the United States are manufactured or assembled abroad.” So the giant has feet of clay.

Meanwhile, the National Security Agency recently announced that it will monitor commercial vendors on the Internet and intercept any communications of the private sector to identify and stop malicious activity in their networks. According to a U.S. official, every year hackers steal significant information from government agencies, businesses and universities — enough to fill the Library of Congress several times, which is considered the largest collection in the world. According to the Department of Defense, more than 200 foreign intelligence organizations attempt or execute these cyberattacks.

When the United States is vulnerable, it always has the same response: war, war, and more war. The question is determining where they should send their missiles to punish “the enemy.”