The issue that many of use have discussed at length has now gone mainstream. 60 Minutes yesterday offered a report on Stuxnet that was actually fairly well done. Once again, cyber security has reached the apex of popular attention. Boy, if it would only stay there. The general public needs to understand that cyber security is more than just a matter of losing credit card passwords or getting one’s computer hooked into a spam-spitting botnet.
I worry that we are sliding toward a “Guns of August” scenario over Tehran’s nuclear program. I worry that rhetoric and potential policy choices may bring about the very outcome we seek to avoid and unleash unforeseen and uncontrollable forces. Stoking this concern is the fact that despite a lack of intelligence suggesting Iran is moving toward weaponization, the chorus of those calling for direct military strikes to interdict such is sounding off with increasing frequency and volume. With this comes the risk that ex ante policy objectives may be getting ahead of both intelligence and strategy.
As the Obama administration continues to try to convince the American people they are securing the borders, their most recent budget request makes clear that “Amnesty by Any Means” remains the consistent mission. The latest installment is buried in the president’s homeland security budget, which includes provisions dotted throughout that, put together, would result in the dismantling of arguably the best border-related program that exists in federal government, US-VISIT, burying its capabilities in two of the most politicized of all government agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
President Obama’s recent apology to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the unintended destruction of Qurans by U.S. military forces has set off a firestorm of action and debate. In Afghanistan, violent protests by those furious at the desecration of the Islamic holy book have killed a number of people and are even suspected as being contributing factors in the recent murders of two U.S. military officers this past week. Many have been critical of the president’s apology, but it brings up the question of whether the President should have apologized in the first place.
Umar Patek, indicted for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, sits before five Indonesian judges. After years of being hunted, Patek must account for a campaign of premeditated murder and bomb-making. While his fate may not be as dramatic as that which befell Osama Bin Laden or Anwar al-Awlaki, there are at least three reasons why the result is every bit as important.
Al-Qaeda’s finances are at their weakest point in years due to a successful campaign to close off major sources of funding. In an article for the IHS Defense, Security, and Risk Consulting publication, I examine the options left to the group, which is increasingly turning to a model of low-level threats from individuals, rather than spectacular orchestrated attacks.
Today’s reality is the Internet is the repository of a huge and growing amount of code (including malware) whose origin and ultimate purpose are unknown. Yet, well-intentioned, repeated government calls for action have not and will not fix a problem enabled by globally deployed technologies. There has been (and continues to be) a great deal of rhetoric and staff activity on the subject, rhetoric is not results and activity is not accomplishment. The current approach to ensuring the operation of America’s critical infrastructures can only be characterized as lessons-observed because we have failed to change our behavior.
Recent articles have reported on New York Police intelligence operations in the post 9-11 era. It appears Muslim communities in the greater New York and New Jersey area as well as several educational institutions with Muslim students have been targeted by the police. I have mixed emotions about this. New York is “target central” for certain terrorist organizations, but who has legal oversight for the NYPD?
Two of my favorite characters from the Muppets are called Waldorf and Statler – they sat in the balcony during the show and grumbled in their crusty, old states about the silly goings on below them. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Statler, and what the United States government is doing in cyber space is ridiculous. What we lack right now in cyber space is a doctrine from which comprehensive and sensible tactics and strategies can flow.
I recently published a piece in Defense Media Network about the Department of Homeland Security’s Center of Excellence (CoE) initiative. This is an important effort in building America’s homeland capabilities and in developing homeland security as profession. Homeland agencies receive security solutions, the CoE receive work and research from intelligent students, and the students themselves acquire the skill sets and experience needed to propel them into homeland security careers.
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