For a variety of reasons, over the last several months the issue of cyber security has been prominently covered in the U.S. news media. But for more than a decade, the vulnerability of networked computer systems has been considered by policymakers, with worst-case scenarios running from "Electronic Pearl Harbor" to the more recent rhetorical refresh of "Cyber Katrina."
The Obama Administration and a number of congressional leaders have made preliminary moves to craft a strategy for defending the country's computer networks, but policymaking interest may outpace technical reality. As a nation, we want to be prepared for cyberwar, but we are a long way from having a cohesive game plan -- what the Pentagon calls doctrine -- for it. ...