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down, say, the U.S. electrical grid or compromise and destroy hardware. Such attacks could also create economic chaos that would, by some accounts, take months to untangle.
• It's no wonder the outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last fall warned of the possibility of a potential "cyber-Pearl Harbor."
• Panetta has been a leading voice on this issue. Last week, he urged NATO to address the issue as cyber attacks have escalated in recent years. "This is without question the battlefield of the future and a scenario NATO needs to pay attention to," he said in Brussels.
• The U.S. must lead the way in this arena. We stand to be the world's largest target for such attacks, and therefore have the most to lose if we don't take the initiative.
• Fortunately, there are signs that we are doing just that. Earlier this month, President Obama issued an executive order to bolster cyber security. Also, there is at least one piece of legislation in Congress to further bolster cyber defenses.
• The president's edict creates a process in which the government shares unclassified cyber-threat material, both among its many agencies and with industry. It also seeks to establish a protocol for security that will be recommended to all agencies and businesses.
• And all this will help ... for a time.
• One thing we've observed, however, is that the Internet is not a static universe. It is constantly changing and morphing, and so cyber attacks are also restlessly evolving. As the technology constantly renews itself, new opportunities and threats emerge. Every attack creates a defensive response, which in turn generates a counter-response from the attackers. The cycle appears never-ending,
• Thus, one facet that must be incorporated into any cyber-security plan is the ability to adapt quickly to cutting-edge threats. Any defense that is established today will be unraveled eventually by someone; thus, that defensive wall must constantly change.
• This discussion probably would have sounded like science fiction 20 years ago, but times have changed so incredibly fast. The downside of our societal interconnectivity must be addressed and understood. Only in that way can we come up with the best cyber defense possible.
• ___
• Rapid City Journal, Rapid City, Feb. 28, 2013
• Drone mission protects Ellsworth AFB
• Supporters of Ellsworth Air Force Base have every reason to be cheered by the

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