In Panetta鈥檚 remarks and in Pentagon budget preview documents, one common theme involved warnings of the threat of cyberwarfare 鈥� and questions about whether the Pentagon can handle sophisticated cyberattacks.
As a result, the Pentagon is pumping more money into cyberoperations. In a rare disclosure about what is considered a highly secretive endeavor, Pentagon officials emphasized that this would include 鈥渂oth defensive and offensive capabilities.鈥�
Indeed, Panetta has warned frequently of a cyber 鈥�Pearl Harbor鈥� and Thursday he called the threat of cyberattack one of 鈥渢he most lethal and disruptive threats of the future.鈥�
The Defense secretary cited the perils, too, involved in not pioneering cutting-edge technological advances. 鈥淲e鈥檙e depending a great deal on being at the technological edge of the future,鈥� Panetta said. 鈥淲e even have to leap forward if we鈥檙e going to deal with the kind of challenges we鈥檙e going to face. We鈥檝e got to be smart enough, innovative enough, creative enough to be able to leap forward. Can we do that? Can we develop the kind of technology we鈥檙e going to need to confront the future?鈥�
That remains to be seen, say many analysts, who add that the answer depends on America鈥檚 ability to fight off cyberattacks that may face America鈥檚 electrical grid, its banking system, and the communications systems of US military assets on the battlefield.
