Gen. Alexander: Cybersecurity is an Important Current, Future Challenge

Gen. Alexander

The Internet provides great opportunities and “tremendous vulnerabilities,” according to Gen. Keith Alexander, who spoke last week at an event in Washington, D.C.

“Our data must be protected,” Alexander, who was recently confirmed as the head of U.S. Cyber Command, said at an event hosted by the Center for Security and International Studies.

During his address, Alexander touched on the need for CYBERCOM to partner with federal departments and agencies.

“Cybersecurity is among the most important current and future challenges the DoD and our nation faces,” he said. “It is a privilege and honor to be a part of our cyber team.”

Alexander went on to discuss the need to establish clear rules of engagement in cyberspace, in order to prepare the United States to be able to respond in the event of a cyber attack.

“What we have to establish are clear rules of engagement that outline what we can stop,” he said. “What the Department [of Defense] is looking at is what are the standard rules of engagement that we have and do those comport with the laws and responsibilities that we have?”

For Alexander, this means approaching the issue from two perspectives: how the country operates during peace and during war.

“I think we need to look at it in two different venues,” he said. “What we’re doing in peace time and what we need to do in war time to support those units that are in combat.”

When asked about Russia’s recent proposal to establish a cyber limitation treaty, Alexander said that it was certainly a good starting point.

“I do think that we have to establish the rules,” he said. “I think that what Russia put forward is perhaps a starting point for debate, not at my level but at levels above me.”

Developing a common global consensus will be a key provision to future cybersecurity, Alexander said.

“If nation-states agree what we are going to do to deter malicious actors in cyberspace, that will go a long way,” he said.

Alexander also discussed the need for oversight to ensure that what CYBERCOM was doing is within the legal guidelines of the United States.

“I think the key in this is oversight,” he said. “The way we’ve set up the oversight is by having a set of oversight mechanisms by all branches of the government.”

The real issue with demonstrating oversight is that the military does not want to reveal its cyber capabilities or vulnerabilities to foreign aggressors, Alexander said.

“The hard part is we can’t go out and tell people exactly what we did or we give up capability that may be extremely useful in protecting our country and our allies,” he said. “That’s what I see as the two things we balance. I do spend a lot of my time with the Court and with Congress to explain what we are doing.”

Oversight is “growing and getting better,” Alexander said. “We spend a lot of time on that.”

“I think that’s the most important step and we’re doing it,” he said.

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