Maj. Gen. Suzanne Vautrinot, 24th Air Force commander, called on members of industry to consider cyber needs and requirements as they design new platforms and weapon systems. Speaking at AFA’s CyberFutures Conference outside of Washington, D.C., on March 23, Vautrinot said if cyber defense is not factored into the design, this would almost inevitably lead to denial-of-service issues that could prevent or misdirect the transfer of vital information. “If you don’t define that end, you don’t build defense on the front end,” she said. “It’s like a hospital gown. You’re covered in the front, but hanging out in the back. We need to get proactive in how you use the defensive structure.”
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…