Defending a New Domain

This Foreign Affairs article details US cyber defense strategy beginning with the Pentagon’s response to Operation Buckshot Yankee in 2008, which resulted in the recognition of cyberspace as a “new domain of warfare” and the establishment of the US Cyber Command (2010). Due to the evolving nature of cyber threats, the author argues, the United States must construct a security model that is flexible, adaptable and built upon four main principles. First, author William Lynn states, the Pentagon must develop a centralized organizational structure to educate, oversee, equip, and command military personnel. Second, these enhanced capabilities should support critical “civilian” infrastructure. Third, the United States must strengthen strong agreements with key allies that facilitate the sharing of information technology to “build collective defense.” Finally, innovation in cyber defense should be rapid and focus on “attributing attacks and blunting intruder capabilities.”