Security & Defense

Cyber Pearl Harbor

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

A shadowy hacker group in the Middle East has disrupted the electronic banking operations of some of the United States’ largest financial institutions, The Seattle Times reported.

General Alexander: Hackers shifting from ‘disruption’ to ‘destruction’

By AFP

From AFP:  Hackers are stepping up the intensity of their attacks, moving from “disruption” to “destruction” of key computer systems, the top US cyber-defense official said Monday. General Keith Alexander, who is director of the National Security Agency and commander of the US Cyber Command, told a Washington forum that the new tactics could move […]

Will France impede NATO’s Smart Defense Initiative?

By Leo Michel, New Atlanticist

From Leo Michel, New Atlanticist:  Is “smart defense”—NATO’s effort to promote greater cooperation among the allies in military capabilities and training— a “Trojan Horse” at the service of the “war machine of the American defense industry?”

White House confirms cyberattack

By Tim Mak, Politico

From Tim Mak, Politico:  The White House confirmed but sought to downplay a report by a conservative website on Sunday that it had been the victim of a cyberattack, volunteering to POLITICO that no harm had been done. The Washington Free Beacon reported that Chinese hackers had attacked a computer system in the White House […]

The US Needs to Discuss Implications of Iran War

By Fallon Hagel Hamilton Pickering and Zinni

War with Iran is not inevitable, but U.S. national security would be seriously threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. Particularly given the recent speeches at the U.N. General Assembly, military action is being discussed intensely. Public discussion of military action, however, is often reduced to rhetoric and partisan politics. We propose a nonpartisan, reasoned debate about […]

Punching Above Their Weight

By Michael Hannan

The U.S. admires certain nations for their willingness to be involved in crises and contingency operations, but we rarely challenge them to lead. We must change this — by helping carefully selected nations to improve their ability to participate in and ultimately take charge of regional security efforts, and by championing them as fuller partners […]

Afghanistan and defense capabilities top agenda for upcoming meeting of NATO defense ministers

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  Next week, NATO Defence ministers and our partners will meet here in Brussels. We will have two major items on our agenda. Firstly, our missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo, and secondly, our Defence capabilities.

Video: US cyber warrior accuses China of targeting Pentagon

By Jim Wolf, Reuters