2009 in Homeland Security
The full future is never clear, of course, but we can certainly lay out some of the major issues facing us as the year turns. In addition, Heritage experts discuss important national security resolutions for 2009. (See... http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandSecurity/wm2182.cfm

Israel Halts Attack Briefly to Allow Aid Into Gaza
Under international pressure to ease its 12-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Israel briefly suspended its fighting on Wednesday and agreed to do so for three hours each day to permit humanitarian relief goods to reach the beleaguered population. Heritage experts discuss what must be done to bring peace to the Gaza strip. (See... http://www.heritage.org/Research/MiddleEast/wm2188.cfm

Pakistan spy chief: No war with India
The new chief of Pakistan's spy agency says there will be no war with India, but also says militant Taliban leaders have a right to "say what they please." Heritage experts discuss stiffening Pakistan's resolve against terrorism. (See... http://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/sr34.cfm

Issue In Depth

Cyber Security

Cyberwar is like real war, a competition of action and reaction between two thinking, determined enemies. Today, the Pentagon uses more than 5 million computers on 100,000 networks at as many as 1,500 sites in at least 65 countries worldwide. Not surprisingly, potential adversaries have taken note of America’s dependence on information technology. While a digital Pearl Harbor is by no means a certainty, cyberspace is increasingly important to American national security. Action by the next Congress is imperative, as this potential threat keeps escalating. For the latest news on Cyber Security, look for Cyber Security News blog, posted weekly on NationalSecurity.org.


Recent Research
Bloomberg.com: Lockheed, Boeing Tap $11 Billion Cybersecurity Market (Update2): Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co., the world’s biggest defense companies, are deploying forces and resources to a new battlefield: cyberspace. The military contractors, eager to capture a share of a market that may reach $11 billion in 2013, have formed new business units to tap increased spending to protect U.S. government computers from attack.

The Heritage Foundation: National Security Resolutions for 2009: The United States should resolve to help make the world a better place with initiatives that keep Americans safe, free, and prosperous in the coming year. Get Smart on Cybersecurity. Many in Washington have rightly expressed concerned over the surety of information technology and control systems that serve our economy. Most, however, are woefully ignorant about the nature of these systems and the threats to them. Even as Washington wrestles with issues concerning organization, authorities, responsibilities, and programs to deal with cyber competition, it must place more emphasis on developing leaders who are competent to engage in these issues.

The Heritage Foundation: Building Cyber Security Leadership for the 21st Century: The issue of cyber security, cyber competitiveness, and cyberwarfare has weighed heavily on the minds of policymakers as the severity and complexity of mali­cious cyber attacks have intensified over the past decade. These attacks, directed against both the public and private sectors, are the product of a heterogeneous network of state and non-state actors whose actions are motivated by a host of factors. Helping to ensure that the federal government achieves a high level of competency on cyber security issues is an imperative for the next Congress.

Department of Homeland Security: Release for Office of Secretary Chertoff: Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at the Chamber of Commerce on Cybersecurity, released on October 14, 2008.

CNET.com: DHS study - CEOs need to do more for infrastructure security: The government has made great strides working with private industry to secure the nation's critical infrastructure, an advisory board to the president and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday, but top executives in the private sector need to step up and do more.

Government Computer News: Cybereye - The price of security: An Update of the Federal Information Security Management Act introduced in the Senate attempts to add a few teeth to the primary law governing information technology security. FISMA 2008, S. 3474, would require annual security audits and would give chief information security officers broader authority to enforce requirements.

Council on Foreign Relations: The Evolution of Cyber Warfare by Greg Bruno: Cyber experts don’t dispute that electronic espionage is a vexing problem, or that the United States is a prime target. But they do disagree on how pervasive such attacks are, who is behind them, and how disruptive they may prove to be.

Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology: Cybersecurity Recommendations for the Next Administration: “We are here to talk about what the next Administration needs to do to improve cybersecurity. There are a number of significant issues that the incoming Administration will face…” –Chairman James R. Langevin (D-RI)

The Heritage Foundation: The Cyber Challenge by Peter Brookes: It is no secret that modern warfare is increasingly dependent on advanced computers — and no country’s armed forces are more reliant on the digital age for information superiority than those of the U.S. This is both the American military’s greatest strength— and potentially its greatest weakness.