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Cover credit: Helen Lundeberg, “The Veil,” 1947, The Macfarlane Collection

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series

Apr 11, 2021

The future of security in space: A thirty-year US strategy

By Clementine G. Starling, Mark J. Massa, Lt Col Christopher P. Mulder, and Julia T. Siegel

Outer space is rapidly transforming as new actors test new limits. This Atlantic Council Strategy Paper calls for the United States and its allies and partners to secure space over the next three decades or risk wasting the promise of this emerging domain.

China
Cybersecurity

In the News

Apr 11, 2021

Warrick quoted in the Washington Post on new CISA leadership

Cybersecurity
Defense Industry

In the News

Mar 31, 2021

Borghard in Russia Matters: Punitive response to SolarWinds would be misplaced, but cyber deterrence still matters

By Atlantic Council

On March 31, Erica Borghard published an article in Harvard Kennedy School’s Russia Matters on the appropriate response to the SolarWinds breach. She argues that a retaliatory option would be unwise, but that this does not mean that deterrence strategies are irrelevant for cyberspace. “A punitive response to SolarWinds is unwise because the available evidence […]

Cybersecurity
United States and Canada

Report

Mar 29, 2021

Broken trust: Lessons from Sunburst

By Trey Herr, Will Loomis, Emma Schroeder, Stewart Scott, Simon Handler, and Tianjiu Zuo

The story of trust is an old one, but the Sunburst cyber-espionage campaign was a startling reminder of the United States’ collective cyber insecurity and the inadequacy of current US strategy to compete in a dynamic intelligence contest in cyberspace.

Cybersecurity
Intelligence

UkraineAlert

Mar 25, 2021

The risks of rushing to internet voting in Ukraine

By Serhii Savelii and Meredith Applegate

Ukraine’s vision for digital transformation is ambitious and includes holding online voting for all elections and referendums, but this vision fails to take into account numerous practical obstacles and risks.

Cybersecurity
Democratic Transitions

Conflict, Risk, and Tech

Mar 24, 2021

How to reverse three decades of escalating cyber conflict

By Jason Healey and Robert Jervis

Cyber conflict has not yet escalated from a fight inside cyberspace to a more traditional armed attack because of cyberspace. In part, this is because countries understand there are some tacit upper limits to escalation above which the response from the offended country will be war. Unfortunately, this happy state may not last.

Cybersecurity
Technology & Innovation

NATO 20/2020

Mar 23, 2021

Design a Digital Marshall Plan: NATO 20/2020 podcast

By The Hon. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)

NATO allies, led by the United States, must cooperate in securing national 5G communications systems in Europe and beyond against malign Chinese influence.

Cybersecurity
Digital Policy

In the News

Mar 16, 2021

Borghard quoted in C4ISRNET: In a cyberattack disaster, DoD needs backup squad to fix networks, restart critical systems

By Atlantic Council

On March 16, Erica Borghard was quoted in an article in C4ISRNET about the need for a cyber reserve force. Borghard described the purpose of a cyber reserve force and how it might be organized. “With a growing number of cyber breaches, lawmakers and outside experts are pushing to increase the role of the National […]

Cybersecurity
United States and Canada

In the News

Mar 16, 2021

Borghard in The Washington Post: Want to tell Russia to stop hacking US systems? Here’s what works—and what doesn’t

By Atlantic Council

On March 16, Erica Borghard published an article in The Washington Post with Jacqueline Schneider, from the Hoover Institution, about whether cyber operations could be used as signals. Borghard and Schneider show how recent reporting characterizing cyber operations as signals of resolve is misguided. “With nine U.S. federal agencies reportedly still cleaning up after last […]

Cybersecurity
United States and Canada

In the News

Mar 9, 2021

Borghard in Lawfare: Was SolarWinds a different type of cyber espionage?

By Atlantic Council

On March 9, Erica Borghard published an article in Lawfare that on the implications of the SolarWinds breach for thinking about cyber espionage versus attack. Borghard evaluated the Biden administration’s approach to SolarWinds and offered a path forward for addressing these kinds of cyber incidents. “The distinction between cyber espionage and cyberattack is important because […]

Cybersecurity
United States and Canada

Experts