It’s far too early to make the case that cyber weapons—such as the so-called “Stuxnet” worm that reportedly derailed Iran’s nuclear weapons program—can substitute for kinetic force structure, said outgoing Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. The shift from kinetic to cyber weapons is “not like major transitions in weaponry in the past,” such as from horse-drawn to motorized artillery, or the change from “piston to turbojet,” he said in a mid July exit interview. There is “a transition under way,” acknowledged Schwartz, but “it is not yet clear, I don’t think, even to those who are most knowledgeable, where the cyber capabilities will ultimately end up.” Just as in the transition from manned to remotely piloted aircraft, there will be “an indefinite period” when kinetic and cyber weapons will operate side by side, “because there are advantages and disadvantages to both” as well as “complications in terms of employment of both,” said Schwartz. The consequences of using kinetic weapons is well understood, but cyber is “nascent in that regard,” said Schwartz. He added, “We’re far from a point where we’re going to rely on cyber as a principal means of securing US national interests.”
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
