U.S. Senators Demand Response on Cyber Warfare Policies

On July 20, 2011, according to the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Defense Department has failed to deliver to Congress a report on cyber warfare policies which may clarify the legal authorities and rules of engagement to be used in the event of a cyber attack.

Senators Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, and John McCain, an Arizona Republican, in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wrote as follows:

“The continued failure to address and define the policies and legal authorities necessary for the Pentagon to operate in the cyberspace domain remains a significant gap in our national security that must be addressed.”

The aforesaid senators stated that by law, the Pentagon was to report to Congress by March 1, 2011 on its cyber warfare policies, outlining a number of “critical questions” that must be addressed in the new battlefield of cyberspace.