Security & Defense

NATO Chief: Lisbon “will be one of the most important summits in NATO’s history”

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

The Iran stalemate and the need for strategic patience

On November 8th, the Atlantic Council’s Iran Task Force launched its first Issue Brief, “The Iran Stalemate and the Need for Strategic Patience,” authored by journalist and Iran expert, Barbara Slavin.

Stuxnet: First Physical Weapon in Cybered Conflict Age

By Chris Demchak

Stuxnet is the first publicly known crossover cyber-to-concrete weapon and, with its success, the era of cybered conflict has officially arrived.  This malicious software hit Iran’s nascent contested nuclear reactors in situ this year, disrupting their final completion into full operations. In so doing, and unlike other viruses and malware, Stuxnet has shown the path […]

Cyber Command Achieves Full Operational Capability

By the U.S. Department of Defense

From the U.S. Department of Defense:  Department of Defense announced today [11/3/10] that U.S. Cyber Command has achieved full operational capability (FOC). Achieving FOC involved U.S. Cyber Command completing a number of critical tasks to ensure it was capable of accomplishing its mission.  U.S. Cyber Command is responsible for directing activities to operate and defend […]

EU runs major cyber-war exercise

By the European Union

From the European Union:  Europe’s cyber security experts are testing their responses today in the first ever pan-European cyber-attack simulation exercise.

National intelligence director says budget will be moved from Pentagon control

By Ellen Nakashima, the Washington Post

From Ellen Nakashima, the Washington Post:  Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. said Tuesday that he has won a "conceptual agreement" to remove the $53 billion national intelligence budget from Pentagon control and place it under his purview by 2013

Cybered Conflict as a New Frontier

By Chris Demchak

Understanding basic cybered conflict begins first with two critical adages for the cyberspace user at any organizational scale: ‘user beware’ and ‘user prepare’.  First, if you or your organization are digitally connected to others to obtain something critical to the ability to operate, neither of you can sensibly fully trust anything reachable from that connect, […]