Cyber Strategy Relies on Deterrence, Industry

The Pentagon's new cyber strategy emphasizes deterrence, a shift that analysts say is a subtle, but important, change for the future of the department.

It also sets up a reliance on the commercial technology sector, which comes with a new push to strengthen ties between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon.

The new strategy, released April 23, represents the first update to the Pentagon's cyber strategy since 2011 — a veritable lifetime given the speed technology has developed.

The overall focus of the strategy falls into three categories: defending Defense Department networks, systems and information; defending against cyber attacks of what the department calls "significant consequence;" and providing integrated cyber capabilities to military operations.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter officially launched the strategy with a speech at Stanford University. As part of his speech, Carter disclosed that hackers from Russia managed to access a Pentagon network.

Although the network was unclassified, and the issue was handled within 24 hours, Carter said the incident was "worrisome" and highlights the need of an updated cyber strategy.

Read the full article at Defense News.