StratCom Chief Talks Cyber, Nuclear
By Michael Bruno 
The combatant commander in charge of U.S. Strategic Command told House defense authorizers March 17 that the United States remains vulnerable across a swath of cyber threats, but he asserts that the military is indeed making progress on the issue.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton also respectfully lobbied the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee on behalf of the Reliable Replacement Warhead, or something of the kind, to modernize, secure and even reduce the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Chilton predicted that “2009 will be an important year” for deciding and pursuing the nation’s new strategic forces vision due to major military reviews, as well as groundwork laid by years of debate over the RRW and other related issues.
Chilton and subcommittee Chair Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) appeared mostly to agree on issues discussed at the public hearing, although Tauscher hinted at continued hesitation over RRW, which she has resisted before because of the image that it gives of the United States building new nuclear weapons. But she also outlined “fences,” or restrictions, under which she seemed to offer support.
According to Tauscher, nuclear stockpile modernization must maintain the ban on atomic testing, provide no new capabilities in regards to nuclear yield or robustness, adhere to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and work toward U.S.-Russian efforts at cutting their Cold War arsenals. Accordingly, modernization “really is a policy that can be reviewed in an interesting way.”
Chilton did not challenge any of those assumptions, and he repeated purported benefits that RRW would bring. Both the nuclear weapons workforce and stockpile are aging, he reminded lawmakers, and the RRW was conceived toward addressing those issues. He also stressed that numerous allies rely on the U.S. nuclear “umbrella” for their own strategic protection, and the RRW moves toward assuring them of U.S. reliability.
Meantime, Chilton sidestepped the ongoing debate about who in the federal government should lead its cyber efforts, but he noted that the military has a cyber command force inside StratCom, which works part and parcel with the National Security Agency on the issue. Still, StratCom is only responsible for protecting military networks and developing any related cyber attacks, if ordered. And even in the defense department, the military must make more cultural and behavioral changes.
The combatant commander said the defense sector must see cyber as a necessity, not a convenience, and charge its operational leaders with the responsibility to defend and develop the capability in their areas of command. Meanwhile, the country faces the potential for attacks from bored teen-agers causing mischief to organized nation-state aggression.
“I’m worried about all of them,” Chilton said. “Are we vulnerable today across the spectrum? I would say yes.”
Photo: Aviation Week & Space Technology
