{"id":17414,"date":"2017-10-24T15:37:18","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T15:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2017\/10\/24\/when-domestic-cyber-becomes-a-military-problem-editorial\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:59:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:59:55","slug":"when-domestic-cyber-becomes-a-military-problem-editorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/opinion\/2017\/10\/24\/when-domestic-cyber-becomes-a-military-problem-editorial\/","title":{"rendered":"When domestic cyber becomes a military problem [Editorial]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Progress in cybersecurity has long been stilted by bureaucracy. We all talk in circles about how the threat evolves faster than our ability to protect our own systems and data, thanks to a slow procurement process, for example. And we often point to this fuzzy line of cyber \u201cownership\u201d \u2014 typically private sector versus government \u2014 which long complicated a productive and cohensive reponse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what we saw on the Hill last week presented another fascinating complication to the cybersecurity dilemma that focuses squarely on jurisdiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense News\u2019 sister publication Fifth Domain reported about a rather heated exchange before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Oct. 19, with Chairman John McCain and the Department of Defense\u2019s principle cyber adviser sparring over the Pentagon\u2019s roles in protecting the nation in cyberspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here were the perspectives: Kenneth Rapuano, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security and a principle cyber adviser, cautioned against \u201cending the current framework and against reassigning more responsibility for incident response to the Department of Defense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCain argued otherwise: \u201cIt\u2019s the Department of Defense\u2019s job to defend this nation; that\u2019s why it\u2019s called the Department of Defense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both are right, which is exactly the problem when one kicks off a philosophical dialogue about cyber response.<\/p>\n\n\n\t