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NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

nytimes.com

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Re: NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

#171

Post by SiempreViernes »

smolder wrote: post #167
SiempreViernes wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Governments will become less and less powerful. And why would governments accept this?

They won't. They'll build costly surveillance into everything and attack individual liberties for the sake of social control. They'll sap potential for positive disruption, out of paranoia, and ironically ensure the unsteerable inertia of existing institutions takes us all off a cliff.

Typically central government favours legislative solutions, it's primarily the gadget agencies that press for technology solutions.

Though I admit sometimes the futurist manage to create a big hype around some technology and everyone pays lip service to the coming technology rapture.

Re: NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

#172

Post by hos234 »

asdfman123 wrote: post #127
hos234 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Translates to - We don't know what we are doing or why but please keep funding us. Henry Kissinger pls talk to Kim Kardashian, and the marketing departments of the world. They will have better ideas on how to fight the next war than anyone who has traditionally fought one. What ever you do don't talk to techies. As Chinese Intelligence is showcasing in Hong Kong, building giant machinery that vacuums up oceans of dat…

I mean, as far as I see it, all this scary new data on our lives is mainly useful so companies can show us marginally better ads. I mean, I'm sure there's a lot more to it and it's more complicated than that, but I think we'll eventually adjust fine to the big-data world we increasingly find ourselves in.

Keep an eye open for more Trump and Brexit style events. You don't need a nation state to trigger them.

That's the future of war.

Re: NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

#175

Post by crucini »

zabana wrote: post #116

Unrelated (kind of): do you guys/girls recommend books (especially novels) that cover the subjects of futurism, espionage, cyber warfare and other related topics ? I find the current situation to be very dystopic and would love to read more about it. Thanks in advance !

Dark Territory, by Fred Kaplan. Same topic as this thread.

Also either Puzzle Palace or Body of Secrets by James Bamford. Topic: NSA.

Re: NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

#176

Post by mikewarot »

It is possible to make secure operating systems, doing so has been discouraged since the demise of multics.

A sense of futility is now endemic to the Information Technology community, because they think such a thing is impossible, they won't even try, and actively deride anyone who states otherwise.

The security research required to build multi-level secure operating systems was completed in response to information processing requirements during the Vietnam conflict... there are multiple models which work... none of which are implemented.

It doesn't have to be this way... look up capability based security.

Re: NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

#177

Post by HeXetic »

avmich wrote: post #174

> And even if we could detect a missile flying at low altitudes at 20 times the speed of sound, we have no way of stopping it. Looks like author doesn't know what he's talking about here?

What's the problem with that? He's talking about the future, where hypersonic missiles will be a reality. Anti-missile defences like the Phalanx CIWS have a range of only a couple of miles. A theoretical missile flying at Mach 20 will cover that range in less than half a second, making it extremely difficult to shoot down. A Phalanx only fires at 50 rounds per second. We're talking about a few dozen bullets on target which have got to shred or detonate the warhead or else it's going to head.

Granted we are not at mach 20 missiles or even mach 5 missiles yet, but this is an article about the future, after all.

Re: NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

#178

Post by avmich »

HeXetic wrote: post #177
avmich wrote: post #174

> And even if we could detect a missile flying at low altitudes at 20 times the speed of sound, we have no way of stopping it. Looks like author doesn't know what he's talking about here?

What's the problem with that? He's talking about the future, where hypersonic missiles will be a reality. Anti-missile defences like the Phalanx CIWS have a range of only a couple of miles. A theoretical missile flying at Mach 20 will cover that range in less than half a second, making it extremely difficult to shoot down. A Phalanx only fires at 50 rounds per second. We're talking about a few dozen bullets on target…

But low altitude? I'd consider that, say, 5 km or even less; why a hypersonic missile would be low-flying cruise missile? Why confront that awful aerodynamic drag?

Re: NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

#179

Post by ephemeralism »

brnt wrote: post #79
rafaelvasco wrote: post #61

No, in my opinion, we need to start working so that wars don't even make sense. A concept of the distant past. A future in which our descendants don't even know what wars are. In my vision there are no legitimate reasons for wars to exist at all. Of course this concept will sound alien and completely nuts for the majority, who are still in the fear based mindset; But then you can ask: So how do we protect ourselves f…

That discussion is pointless without a definition of war. If you read some of what Moscovite thinktanks/ideologists produce, you'll find very little about guns and arms, but a lot on psychology and influencing. War to them is total war. There is no difference. Everything can be weaponized and will be used. There is no choice. Changing that line of thinking is first very different from western lines of thinking. Secon…

Any examples?

Re: NSA Official: We Need to Prepare for the Future of War

#180

Post by kian »

boomboomsubban wrote: post #143
motohagiography wrote: post #129

We could call this historical period a great dis-integration where the consensus that formed the equilibrium of the last 60 years has been disrupted by tech, and we're looking at a period of volatility before reaching a new equilibrium. I've argued before that U.S. critical infrastructure vulnerability will prevent it from intervening in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Its lack of a strong homeland defensive posture on infrast…

>Its lack of a strong homeland defensive posture on infrastructure has emboldened regional powers like China, Russia, and Iran to assert themselves over local NATO allies without fear of US retaliation. First, calling these issues "homeland defensive postures" makes no sense. I don't understand how you can view the current situation as "regional powers asserting themselves." NATO now borders Russia and the US effecti…

I believe by "homeland defensive postures" the commenter you are replying to was suggesting that, because our infrastructure (electrical, hydro, fuel) is largely controlled by internet-connected security holes, the repercussions of involving ourself abroad would be to face consequences at home - something we are politically and otherwise unprepared for. In other words, our lack of a 'defensive posture' on infrastructure (i.e., a lack of hardening against cyberattack) leads to our lack of countering actions by China or Russia abroad.
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