Hagel’s Gospel on Defending Networks

[Commentary] The Pentagon is seeking $4.7 billion in its fiscal 2014 budget request to “defend networks, degrade adversary cyber capabilities and support defense of national infrastructure.” Defense officials have pledged to work more closely with civil authorities and internally with the National Security Agency and Cyber Command, which is pushing to elevate its status to that of a combatant command. The $800 million increase in cyber budgeting will go largely to train and develop 40 mission teams, 25 direct support teams and 68 protection teams to assist the Homeland Security Department in securing federal and critical commercial systems by 2016, according to budget documents. How it is all going to work is another thing.

Defense Secretary Charles Hagel said: “Another very important component to this is our allies and our partners, because we live in a world -- and you all know this -- where one country's just not big enough, strong enough, good enough, wealthy enough to handle it all. We can't do it, especially cyber. And cyber is one of those quiet, deadly, insidious unknowns you can't see, it's in the ether. It's not one big navy sailing into a port or one big army crossing a border or squadrons of fighter planes crossing a border. This is a very difficult, but real and dangerous threat. And there's no higher priority for our country than this issue.” Working with allies, hardening networks and passing laws qualifying who can do what and when in cyberspace are essential. Such initiatives will lead to those critical rules of the road, but getting there will not be easy.

[Grady is a retired director of communications for the Association of the United States Army]