Blurring Cyber and Kinetic

Cyber warfare is starting to take some resources away from traditional, “kinetic” weapons, according to Vice Adm. David Dorsett, the Navy’s chief of information dominance and intelligence. Dorsett said that the so-called “Stuxnet” cyber weapon that apparently disabled some of Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure is emblematic of a new era of warfare and that the effectiveness of such weapons demands a greater share of the budget. “We are seeing a shift of resources toward more information capabilities, yes,” Dorsett said Wednesday while addressing reporters in Washington, D.C. Planting malicious code that disrupts an enemy’s operations, stealing information from enemy databases, etc., “all of that will mature and become an increasing element of warfare,” he noted. Asked if this development will lead to a reorganization of the US military, Dorsett said that, in the Navy, the establishment of his own job “has already had that effect.” He continued, “Platforms are critical . . . but we find all elements of information have been elevated” to a higher standing in the realm of weapons, he said. The establishment of US Cyber Command is another signal of the rising importance of cyber weapons, he added. (For more from Dorsett, read PEDalling Together and Carrier Killer)