With Russia in mind, US pledges to fight for Nato in cyberspace
‘We will formally announce that the United States is prepared to offer Nato its cyber capabilities if asked’
Brussels — The US is expected to announce in the coming days that it will use offensive and defensive cyber capabilities on behalf of Nato if asked, a senior Pentagon official said, amid concern about Russia's increasingly assertive use of its cyber capabilities. The 29-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organisation recognised the cyber arena as a domain of warfare, along with land, air and sea, in 2014, but has not outlined in detail what that entails. “We will formally announce that the United States is prepared to offer Nato its cyber capabilities if asked,” Katie Wheelbarger, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defence for international security affairs, told reporters during a trip to Europe by US defence secretary Jim Mattis. Wheelbarger said the US will keep control of its people and capabilities but use them in support of Nato if asked. She said it was a part of a British-led push to increase Nato’s cyber capabilities. In a recent summit, member nations said Nato would cr...
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