Of note - All in all the speaker seems very weak on history.
"Russia is Ffrst to engage in cyber-warfare???"

M-


http://www.iwar.org.uk/news-archive/2007/06-01.htm

SECAF: Dominance in cyberspace is not optional

by Tech. Sgt. A.J. Bosker
55th Wing Public Affairs

6/1/2007 - OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPNS) -- The Air Force's
senior leader's message was clear: dominance in cyberspace is not
optional. He made that case to attendees May 23 at the inaugural 55th
Wing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Symposium in Omaha.

"Our own nation's neural network resides in cyberspace," Secretary of
the Air Force Michael W. Wynne said. "Our military command and
control, ISR and precision strike capability all rely on ensured
access to the electronic spectrum.

"As the nation with the world's most advanced armed forces, we can't
afford to risk losing the freedom of action in the cyberspace domain."

Cyberspace is the electromagnetic domain that facilitates the
'information mosaic' providing national leaders and military
commanders with timely, actionable and decision-quality data, he said.
"All of this data will be relatively useless unless it can be
protected," Secretary Wynne said. "Today, the Air Force can only offer
limited options in cyberspace.

"At the same time our enemies, be they nation states or terrorists,
can effectively maneuver in cyberspace and find opportunities to
exploit," he said. "These adversaries can communicate globally with
their agents, spread propaganda, mobilize support worldwide, conduct
training, detonate improvised explosive devices and can empty or
create bank accounts to fund their causes.

"Russia, our Cold War nemesis, seems to have been the first to engage
in cyber warfare," he said. "Over the past four weeks, it is reported
that Russia has been conducting massive cyber attacks against the
small Baltic country of Estonia. (These are) the first known
incidents of such an assault on a state."

Estonia, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and
European Union since the spring of 2004, is the most advanced cyber
power of the former Warsaw Pact members, one of the most wired
societies in Europe and a pioneer in the development of
'e-government,' he said. Since April, a wave of Distributed Denial of
Service attacks has swamped Estonian Web sites by overwhelming the
bandwidth of the servers.

"The Russians have denied that this was their action, contrary to all
the evidence," Secretary Wynne said. "However, the good news is the
attacks didn't shut down this small country. But it did start a series
of debates within NATO and the EU about the definition of clear
military action and it may be the first test of the applicability of
Article V of the NATO charter regarding collective self-defense in the
non-kinetic realm."

The attack on Estonia is a reminder that the U.S. is not alone in
cyberspace nor is it that far ahead of other nations or entities,
according to Secretary Wynne. Therefore, to ensure continued access to
and superiority in cyberspace, the Air Force recently stood up Air
Force Cyber Command.

"Air Force Cyber Command will ensure the security and integrity of our
network and at the same time build trust and confidence in the system
as we use cyberspace to exploit new and future technologies," he said.

Secure and reliable information is an important enabler of both
military andpolitical options.

"A strong diplomatic negotiation usually relies on a strong military,"
he explained. "The stronger your ability to follow up militarily when
diplomacy fails, the better diplomacy seems to work out."

One example of this cited by the secretary was the recent F-22
deployment to Guam for tests and training. Shortly after the F-22s
arrived on North Korea's 'doorstep,' the North Koreans agreed to shut
down their nuclear plant.

"We'll never know and they'll never admit if the two are related but I
can say that after the aircraft arrived, for some reason the
negotiations went a lot better," he said.

Regardless of the chosen option, political or military, the foundation
of success for each is the same: accurate, timely and trustworthy
information.

"It is your Air Force harnessing and delivering that information to
the right people," the secretary said. "Today, we dominate air and
space. In the future, it will be vital that we also dominate cyberspace."

======================================================================

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Norwich University


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Information is the currency of victory on the battlefield.
GEN Gordon Sullivan, CSA (1993)
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