US warns cyber war already underway

Washington, Jan 20: The United States is already engaged in an active and escalating cyber conflict with its adversaries, senior American lawmakers have warned, cautioning that attacks on critical infrastructure and national systems are occurring in real time and growing harder to detect or deter.Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker during a confirmation hearing said cyber threats are no longer hypothetical. “This is not a theoretical threat,” he said. “This is an ongoing fight occurring right now, even as we speak.”Wicker said US Cyber Command has become the “first and last line of defense” in the cyber domain, operating largely out of public view while confronting increasingly sophisticated adversaries.As such, he warned that hostile actors are investing heavily in technologies designed to evade detection and overwhelm defenses.The challenge is increasingly evident at home, where critical infrastructure remains exposed to sophisticated cyber threats, Senator Roger Wicker said. He added that similar risks are emerging globally, particularly as the United States positions its cyber forces for potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.During his confirmation hearing to lead U.S. Cyber Command while simultaneously serving as director of the National Security Agency, Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd told senators that cyber operations have become inseparable from modern warfare and national defense.“For decades, I have had the opportunity to serve as a leader, consumer, enabler, generator, and integrator of the intelligence and operational capabilities of NSA and Cyber Command,” Rudd said.He described cyberspace as a domain that demands speed, integration, and constant readiness. “The current strategic environment requires agility, speed, and the seamless integration of all our capabilities,” Rudd noted, adding that cyber effects are now embedded across nearly all military operations.Ranking Member Senator Jack Reed warned that the United States is entering what he termed a “window of vulnerability,” as adversaries such as China and Russia increasingly combine cyber capabilities with artificial intelligence and information warfare.Reed questioned whether Cyber Command is sufficiently prepared, pointing out that the command has lacked a Senate-confirmed leader for several months and is undergoing structural reforms under the initiative known as “Cyber Command 2.0.”Rudd stressed that protecting democratic processes remains a top priority. “Any foreign attempt to undermine America’s democratic process must be safeguarded against,” he said, adding that Cyber Command works closely with other agencies to counter such threats.The hearing also highlighted divisions over whether the U.S. should adopt a more overt offensive cyber posture. Senator Dan Sullivan argued that deterrence requires more than defensive measures. “Isn’t offense a good defense?” he asked, suggesting that adversaries face minimal consequences for persistent cyber attacks.Rudd responded that Cyber Command must maintain both defensive and offensive capabilities, while emphasizing that decisions on deploying offensive cyber tools rest with civilian leadership. “We need the capability to do both,” he said.Other senators pressed Rudd on safeguards to prevent misuse of cyber and intelligence tools against American citizens. Senator Elissa Slotkin asked whether he would reject any attempt to use NSA capabilities against Americans without a foreign nexus.