International Cyber Terrorism

Conti and Surdu reasoned, "Adding an efficient and effective cyber branch alongside
the Army, Navy and Air Force would provide our nation with the capability to defend our
technological infrastructure and conduct offensive operations. Perhaps more important,
the existence of this capability would serve as a strong deterrent for our nation's
enemies."
In response to concerns about the military's right to respond to cyber attacks, General
Alexander stated "The U.S. must fire back against cyber attacks swiftly and strongly and
should act to counter or disable a threat even when the identity of the attacker is
unknown" prior to his confirmation hearings before the United States Congress. This
came in response to incidents such as a 2008 operation to take down a governmentrun
extremist honeypot in Saudi Arabia. "Elite U.S. military computer specialists, over
the objections of the CIA, mounted a cyberattack that dismantled the online forum".
"The new U.S. Cyber Command needs to strike a balance between protecting military
assets and personal privacy." stated Alexander, in a Defense Department release. If
confirmed, Alexander said, his main focus will be on building capacity and capability to
secure the networks and educating the public on the command's intent.
"This command is not about an effort to militarize cyber space," he said. "Rather, it's
about safeguarding our military assets."
In July 2011, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn announced in a conference that
"We have, within Cyber Command, a full spectrum of capabilities, but the thrust of the
strategy is defensive." "The strategy rests on five pillars, he said: treat cyber as a
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