Senate Confirms Leader of New U.S. Cyber Command

May 14, 2010 -- The U.S. Senate this week confirmed Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander to lead the new U.S. Cyber Command, which the Defense Department created in response to increasing threats to its computer networks. The command is charged with giving early warning about cyber threats to the U.S. military and responding to them.

A letter report released by the National Research Council in March examined why traditional approaches to deterrence, such as the threat of a massive counterattack used to deter nuclear strikes, may not be as useful in preventing cyberattacks on the U.S. The report, part of a larger project to identify policy options for preventing such attacks, lists questions that need further exploration, such as whether international agreements are useful.

Technology, Policy, Law and Ethics Regarding U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities, released in 2009, examines the current policy and legal framework regulating the use of defensive or offensive cyberattack and calls for greater transparency. The existing framework is ill-formed, undeveloped, and highly uncertain, the report concludes. It recommends that the U.S. establish clear national policy on when and how cyberattack can be used and continue to develop its technological capabilities in this area. The policy should be informed by open national debate on the technological, policy, legal, and ethical issues involved in this kind of warfare.