Yes, indeed, the power and influence of this blog has reached to the very highest circles of American military strategic planning, to be precise, up as far as Gen. Keith Alexander, the retiring head of Cyber Command and also the outgoing director of the National Security Agency. According to the Washington Free Beacon:
The U.S. military is ill-prepared for waging cyber warfare and needs to bolster defenses against the growing threat of cyber attacks against both military systems and private infrastructure, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command told Congress on Thursday.
I have been banging on recently about how necessary it is to shrink our traditional armed services and get rid of three in four of our 'top brass' who, apart from being mostly useless are also an expensive dead weight to carry! With the savings we need to form 'Her Majesty's Royal Corps of Cyber Swots'. It's no good trying to teach them drill, or even giving them uniforms, let alone - God help us all! - giving them rifles! No, just bring them in, mostly as reservists in their spare time, and give them all the money and kit they need to work out how to defend this country against a major cyber attack which in nano-seconds could reduce our society to chaos. As US Gen. Alexander puts it:
Cyber Command, currently staffed by 1,100 people, is making progress in all areas, said Alexander, who retires next month. However, he warned that cyber threats are increasing, shifting from temporarily disruptive attacks, to extremely damaging cyber strikes that can destroy data and machines, and potentially threaten the U.S. economy and endanger American lives.
[...]
[Adm. Cecil D. Haney, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command] said plans call for creating 133 “cyber mission teams” staffed by over 6,000 people by the end of 2016. So far 17 teams are deployed in a variety of missions within combatant commands and at Cyber Command headquarters at Fort Meade, Md.
If the Americans are that far behind, only 17 out of 133 teams formed, then we are probably out of sight altogether and I have nil confidence in the average British army brigadier or major-general having any conception of the complexities involved, although I suspect there are some very bright people at GCHQ who do. They should be involved and help form the first military teams.
In exactly the same way that we desperately needed Spitfires and Hurricanes in 1939, we now need cyber nerds!
Now then, Duffers, your having touched on swots, I must tell you of my new resolution. Each week I'll set you a reading assignment, and an essay. If you don't do this "prep" you will suffer from condign punishment.
Reading: you are to scoot to your public library and turn to p6 of the current TLS. There you will find a long letter on Mr WS. Read, mark, and inwardly digest its last para.
Writing: you are to read the fascinating letter on the Malayan Emergency on p4 of the current LRB. (Also available here http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n05/letters) Write an essay on said events, setting out your no doubt perspicacious views.
Posted by: dearieme | Saturday, 01 March 2014 at 14:59
We had their equivalent in the 1950's. What happened?
Posted by: Demetrius | Saturday, 01 March 2014 at 16:09
No sooner said than done, Headmaster! Where shall I begin? Well, obviously, as a well-disciplined pupil, with a 'thank you' because I read another review of that book a few weeks ago and meant to buy it. Alas, within a few days I had forgotten the title and where I had read the review! So, thanks to your nudge I am now reminded and 'Mr. Amazon & Co.' will earn a few more bucks.
The 'business', and in some ways it is a 'business', of transforming one's self into another 'self' is, when you think about it, very peculiar and it gives rise to all sorts of deeper reflections on what precisely 'self' is, which is why, I guess, I tried to avoid such potentially disturbing thoughts when I was acting. Even so, when I delivered Falstaff's awful lines, like: "I will turn diseases into commodity" or "Now all the laws of England are at my command", then 98% of me really *was* that fat, evil rascal. At least, I thought so, but here the actor meets the deep unknown, you can never be sure whether the audience thought you were!
The 'Malayan Emergency', about which I know next to nothing will have to await further research but rest assured, Headmaster, it will be in a post up above fairly soon.
Posted by: David Duff | Saturday, 01 March 2014 at 16:54
I think, Demetrius, the whole subject has risen to astronomical levels of complexity which, as I point out above, is way over the heads of most of our Brass, and, of course, the 'cyber nerds' can now earn fifty times the money in 'civvie street'!
Posted by: David Duff | Saturday, 01 March 2014 at 16:57
Oh, if you know nowt about the ME you may change the topic for one of your choice.
How about this? What the devil is this about?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2570996/At-27-dead-109-injured-gang-knife-wielding-men-attack-train-station-China.html
Posted by: dearieme | Saturday, 01 March 2014 at 22:06
Well for a start I should think letting the soldiers, sailors and fly-boys have their own uncoordinated attempts would be totally hopeless and a gift to the baddies - whoever they might be. Those folk in the West Country do know a thing or two and yes the subject is v complex.
Then there is 'what do you expect to achieve?'. I reckon it would not be easy to 'reduce a society to chaos' by purely cyber means. For a start the gas, leccy and water infrastructure is easily protected if you choose to although Smart Meters look a threat/means of control but only the little people have those.
Despite the fuss about those wicked Chinese 'getting at' our security it turns out that the Americans are a far worse threat and American equipment and software is reportedly riddled with loopholes and backdoors. Indeed there are concerns that the entire chip fabrication industry could be subverted already - but this is known about and could be controlled by using 'simpler' kit. The real fun will start when those carefully conceived loopholes and backdoors start being used against their inventors.
But are the electronic spies now a busted flush? Surely every diplomat, bureaucrat, politician and terrorist knows the basic rules by now and knows the very advanced tricks used - so don't use anything electronic, back to the methods of le Carre (and don't use Amazon, pay cash) - unless you want to be listened to.
Posted by: rogerh | Sunday, 02 March 2014 at 08:01
DM, I had no idea when that story first broke but I gather now that it is being filed under 'BIOTM' - 'Blame It On The Muslims'. Rushing around stabbing people is, er, well, so quaintly old-fashioned these days!
Roger you are entirely right in thinking that matters should not be left in the hands of the 'Major Humpty-Dumpty's' which is why I think it should mainly be staffed by reservists from our top IT companies. I have a sneaking suspicion that it would be all too easy to reduce our computer-controlled society to chaos, and certainly it would be a doddle to break down military C and C systems which are almost certainly 20 years out of date.
Posted by: David Duff | Sunday, 02 March 2014 at 08:48