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Cyberwar nominee points out “mismatch" between law and policies

Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, the Army intelligence officer nominated to head Cyber Command and current director of the National Security Agency, wrote to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday in advance of his confirmation hearing, warning that cyberwarfare was evolving so rapidly that there is a developing “mismatch between our technical capabilities to conduct operations and the governing laws and policies.” He noted that many policy directives and legal controls over digital combat are outdated and have failed to keep pace with the military’s technical capabilities and the scope of potential threats. He assured the Committee that the White House and Pentagon were “working hard to resolve the mismatch”  as the military moves into uncharted territory, seeking to defend national interests and carry out offensive operations inside computer networks in an environment where nations of the world do not even agree on what constitutes a computer attack or an appropriate response.

For more, visit the NYT.



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