Cybersecurity

Cyber: The opposite of the Cold War?

The cyber domain draws many comparisons to the domains and conflicts that came before it in military history. But in most cases it's a very different ball game in many respects — and while there may be some adversaries common with the Cold War, there remain fundamental differences.

"In the Cold War, we almost always assigned one organization to conduct operations and manage risks," said Lt. Gen. Kevin McLaughlin, deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command. "That doesn't exist anymore period, particularly in cyber. The interdependencies mean we can't be turf-oriented — this is about the mission we're trying to get done. We have to find partners with partners with shared equity…and figure out how to do that together."