A soldier works through instructional material during the Cyber Shield 2026 exercise. (Photo/Army Spc. Brooke Kentler)
By Troy Turner
The United States must aggressively move beyond the important stages of information-sharing and relying on deterrents in cyber warfare, and immediately quicken the pace of operational strategy that includes attention-getting offensive approaches, said Auburn University’s Frank Cilluffo in a Congressional hearing last week with the House Intelligence Committee.
That strategy should include implementing actionable consequences that will get the attention of bad actors in the cyber world, he said, and not just when something adverse already has occurred.
Cybersecurity for the everyday American involves almost everything in today’s society, including power grids, water supplies, healthcare, bank and retail transactions, cell phone service, GPS and much more.
Cilluffo is the director of Auburn’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, and as such has become a go-to expert to provide critical testimony on- and off-record to members of Congress, the White House, and to military and industry leaders around the nation invested in cybersecurity.
Frank Cilluffo shown speaking at last week’s briefing with the House Intelligence Committee.
That community is growing rapidly with the all-encompassing rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological advancements, such as the low earth orbit quickly becoming cluttered with thousands of satellites and other serviceable spacecraft.
The military, meanwhile, must also rely on cyber abilities, and cyber security, in almost every aspect of its doctrine and mandates, including ground, naval, air and space; and especially with new technology demands in weaponry such as drones, directed energy, missile seekers and beyond.
A NEW GENERATION OF THREATS
Last week’s hearing was tied to the upcoming 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and focused on “confronting the next generation of threats.”
Committee Vice Chairman Trent Kelly questioned Cilluffo about American preparedness to prevent or respond to cyber threats today.
Those threats could include state actors, “because China knows that AI is the nuclear weapon of the 21st century,” Kelly said.
Cyber warfare already is an active element of U.S. military action plans, Cilluffo said.
“If you look at Absolute Resolve in Venezuela, cyber played an integral role.” Also with operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury, cyber “helped us achieve the optimal results we were looking for,” he said. “The real question to ask is not about winning the cyber war, but winning the war and how cyber can aid in that.”
Cyber warfare played an early role in Operation Epic Fury. (Photo/USS Abraham Lincoln/Navy)
“The bottom line is, I think we’re finally recognizing that cyber isn’t a little black magic, it’s not a separate box that sits over here; it has to be integrated in our doctrine and our warfighting and capabilities,” Cilluffo said. “You’re starting to see that.
“Is it enough? In my eyes, no. Because ultimately, we shouldn’t be reacting, we should be shaping the environment.”
THERE MUST BE CONSEQUENCES
There must be consequences for attacks on American cyber operations, whether civilian or military, and those consequences should be demonstrated for criminal or enemy operators to observe and recognize, Cilluffo told the committee.
“If deterrence is failing, we ought to be compelling,” he said. “Everyone else is watching how we respond. And if we respond by building more firewalls and more defenses — which is essential, don’t get me wrong, but in itself — that’s never going to change the equation.”
Thus, why the U.S. cybersecurity community is finally moving more from strategy-setting to “its operationalizing.”
One of the committee members asked him about the relation of future energy needs associated with AI and the effect on cyber ability.
“You cannot be AI dominant unless you’re energy dominant,” Cilluffo said. “They are both in our national interests.”
Other members testifying on the panel included former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, CSIS Defense and Security Department President Seth Jones, and former White House Special Advisor for AI Ben Buchanan.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
Similar stories of interest:
