Wednesday, March 12, 2014
N.S.A. Nominee Promotes Cyberwar Units
Michael S. Rogers, a Vice Admiral in the Navy and President Obama's nominee to become the new Director of the NSA/Commander of the US Cyber Command, told the Senate that he would promote the use of cyber combat units in each branch of the military. According to Rogers, these units would make the US less susceptible to cyber attacks because our country would "have the will to respond" by conducting cyberattacks of our own. It is Rogers' opinion that in the future, almost all conflicts of warfare will have cyber elements included as the norm. He was careful about responding to questions about the recent NSA controversy, declining to reference very many specifics. He did say that he would make the NSA "more transparent" and would increase the agency's accountability. However, he gave the opinion that the agency would not be able to track down terror suspects without having access to American telephone data in some form. What is your opinion of Obama's new appointment, and do you agree that we should invest more heavily in cyberattack units for the various commands of the military as Rogers suggests?
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I agree with Admiral Rogers that it is imperative that the United States invest in the capability of conducting cyber-attacks, as this will indeed become the norm when it comes to conducting warfare. Furthermore, I do agree that the NSA needs more transparency and accountability. I most strongly disagree, however, that the NSA needs the phone records. In fact, whether or not the NSA needs the phone records is irrelevant, as such powers are unconstitutional. In no world do the ends justify the means and thus it is completely absurd to suggest that the phone records are necessary. The government does not need the information of the average citizen. Any information that they actually need can be acquired through having a judge issue a search warrant.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Admiral Rogers in his support for increased use of cyber task forces. In an ever-changing, modernizing world, the traditional, battlefield style fighting does not exist anymore. Enemies are taking to the shadows and using technology to infect us from the inside. We need people who can not only protect us from these infections, but people who can respond as well.
ReplyDeleteAs for the NSA, I am in full support. The NSA is not against us, they are here for one purpose and one purpose only, to protect us. My philosophy is who cares if some government agent hears me tell my friend Trevor on the phone that I am going to the game tonight. If it makes us safer, then by all means, do whatever they deem is necessary.
I agree with Rogers that "cyber will be an element of almost any crisis we’re going to see in the future." This is the direction the world is heading in and we need to protect ourselves from it. As for the NSA, I think the increased transparency is necessary, the phone monitoring is not. As I've said before, it is completely useless. There is no way any terrorist will make the mistake of planning a terrorist attack through tapped phones. The NSA's surveillance tactics only works if they are not known. It's common knowledge that they tap phones now so there's no point in continuing to do so.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Ethan. Having a "cyber task force" sounds silly, but it really is just what we need. We need to keep up with the technology that is changing everyday. Again with the NSA "spying",it isn't spying, it is security! Some may argue that it is intrusive, but how does it even affect you? You would never know whether someone is listening to your phone call or not AND what should you have to hide from the government? I have said this a million times, the only people who should be worried about this are people who are breaking the law.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that spending too much money for this would be beneficial, yet at the same time being one step ahead is always useful. The idea of putting some spending towards cyber warfare will be good, but taking away from normal military spending could have detrimental effects.
ReplyDeleteIt is imperative that the US be ready for cyber attacks when the time comes. I wouldn't be surprised if, with just one hacking, the government could be completely brought down using today's technology. We should spend less money on things like weaponry and uniforms and more on the technology that will keep us safer for years to come. In addition, while I am not as against the NSAs actions as some of my fellow classmates, I think it is necessary for the agency to be more transparent.
ReplyDeleteI personally would like at least more transparency with the actions taken by the NSA. I understand it is important for us to be ready for cyberattacks, but I want to know if there is potential for my information being accessed. Olivia brought up a good point that if we know what NSA does then terrorists know as well, making them better able to sneak around undetected. there must be a balance between transparency and secrecy.
ReplyDeleteI know this is a very unpopular belief, but I am not at all against the NSA. They do things to keep us safe so why argue that? Anyway, I agree with everyone in that the cyber security needs to be better equipped, because I believe the future of war or conflict will be solely rooted in technology. Look at how much damage Edward Snowden did. Imagine an attack on a much larger scale by someone like Russia, for instance. Now that would be a problem. And while all of our government secrets are being reveled, the people who pushed for a larger army are going to feel pretty stupid.
ReplyDeleteCyber attacks will definitely be a more common method in the future to cause destruction for Americans. As many things start to shift and become "paperless" such as receipts and things, it opens a new window for terrorism. I've read about things online such as smart houses, etc. and if someone ha the ability to control these things then they have the ability
ReplyDeleteto impact our lives negatively. Therefore, the NSA should become more transparent as we should and will rely on it even more. When it comes to whether they should have access to american's phone records, I have no opinion.
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