This is horrible, horrible, terrible news, a massive scandal…um, wait
(Guardian) Barack Obama has ordered his senior national security and intelligence officials to draw up a list of potential overseas targets for US cyber-attacks, a top secret presidential directive obtained by the Guardian reveals.
The 18-page Presidential Policy Directive 20, issued in October last year but never published, states that what it calls Offensive Cyber Effects Operations (OCEO) “can offer unique and unconventional capabilities to advance US national objectives around the world with little or no warning to the adversary or target and with potential effects ranging from subtle to severely damaging”.
It says the government will “identify potential targets of national importance where OCEO can offer a favorable balance of effectiveness and risk as compared with other instruments of national power”.
There are good leaks, and bad leaks, and “you don’t say” leaks. Many are decrying this as some sort of scandal and shows the tyranny of Obama. I’m going to disagree and defend Obama on this. I’d be upset if he hadn’t ordered this in this day and age. The US government, especially the DOD, has always had plans. Plans to fight a war, even first strikes, against our best allies. There are surely plans involving Canada, the U.K., heck, probably the Canary Islands. In this day and age we need plans for cyber-attacks.
So, in this case, Obama was doing the correct thing.
