War - By Another Name !

In the distant past a war was a very predictable event.   A foreign army came pouring over the border and we needed to recruit our young men to form a defene force.  The two armies fought battles until one reached a decisive victory that changed the history of nations.

In recent times the development of the nuclear bomb has changed everything.  Opposing nations are now armed with missiles than can deliver a nuclear strike without warning and in many ways that has been a blessing.    The doctrine of " Mutually Assured Destruction " has actually prevented a third world war from bringing national destruction.

We have now reached a new stage when war is an ongoing event between the electronic warriors of opposing nations.  The mechanics of running a country can be disrupted by cyber warfare conducted on the internet and this manifests tself in the penetration of industry to steal intellectual property that gives the aggressor a technical advantage.  The mechanics of running a country have become so comnplex that interference from the internet can cripple the internal structure of a country and bring chaos.

The internet is now so completley integrated into the running of the country that a cyber attack can quickly close down the electricity supply and with that the transport and commerce that keeps this nation trading.  We recently had a warning when action by an undisclosed nation penetrated both government and industry to steal the trove of information that would enable a comnpetitor to have an advantage.  It is clearly evident that Australian industry lacks the siophisticated defences to deter such atrtacks.

Only a limited numnber of countries have the cyber penetration capability to launch such a raid and clearly the blame is directed at China.  The Chinese Communist government is seeking world trading dominance and ignores the trade protocols that usually apply to world trade.  It is rapidly and purposfully building its military forces to replicate the strength of the United States.

The Australian government has signalled its intention to form an internal cyber defence unit and this is long overdue.We need the powerful computers and the skilled people to use them to form a defence against attacks on both our industry and our military forces.  Our potential enemies are equally vulnerable to penetration from an Australian cyber force with the right equipment.

In the world of today, computers and the people trained to use them are as much a necessity for national defence as the army, navy and the air force   We spend billions on equipment for the armed services and now that budget will need to expand to cover cyber defence.  That is a rational decision that deserves public support  !