FRONTLINEs report focuses on Americas vulnerabilities to a cyber attack. What is the extent of the U.S.s offensive cyber capabilities?
This is a very sensitive area and it is hard to get national security and military officials to talk about it. According to John Arquilla, cyber tactics were employed in NATO’s war in Kosovo against the Serbs. Such tactics, for example, were used to distort images generated by Serbian integrated air defense systems. This kind of capability, says Arquilla, was “essential to the high performance of the air campaign.” He also says that cyberspace means of attack “were used substantially by our adversaries, both during and after the conflict.” In February 2003, The New York Times reported that the U.S. was ready to use similar, but more technically advanced, tactics in the war to oust Saddam Hussein. However, there is a big debate and a reluctance to talk about America’s cyber offense strategy and tactics because this is an area in which it is especially vulnerable: The U.S. fears that if it introduces such tactics, adversaries will feel free to do the same.
