BRUSSELS – The NATO alliance has agreed to treat cyberspace as a domain of war, a recognition of the importance of computing in modern conflict, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
The alliance’s recognition of the Internet and other digital networks as a combat domain follows similar distinctions by the U.S. and other militaries that cyberspace is a fundamental element of modern conflict. It also means that any NATO member nation, under a cyber-attack, can invoke the all-in Article 5 clause binding all countries to come to the defense of one.
“We agreed that we will recognize cyberspace as an operational domain, just like air, sea and land,” he said. “Cyber defense is part of our collective defense. Most crises and conflicts today have a cyber dimension.”
It is understood that Russia has engaged in an aggressive cyber offensive in the conflict in Ukraine and that terrorist organizations like the self-styled Islamic State regularly use the Internet and social media to spread propaganda.
More timely, Russian hackers on Tuesday admitted to hacking the Democratic National Committee’s computer network and stealing research on opposition candidate Donald Trump. Stoltenberg evaded a direct question about that hack, but said the NATO cyber initiative will better protect the alliance’s collective mission and the cyber security of individual member nations.
“It means we will organize and coordinate our efforts to protect against cyber-attacks in a more efficient way,” he said. “But also to help and assist nations in defending their cyber networks. Since it’s hard to imagine a military conflict today without a cyber dimension, this is important related to all possible conflicts we may see in the future.”
The agreement also means that NATO considers cyber incursions and attacks an all-in Article 5 offense, Stoltenberg said. Article 5 guarantees that the alliance will come to the defense of any one member. The only time it has been invoked was after the 9/11 attacks.
“We have decided that a cyber-attack can trigger Article 5,” he said. “But at the same time I think it’s important to understand that cyber is not something that always triggers Article 5. It is not always easy to know who exactly is attacking, so everything related to attribution is one of the issues that is on our agenda.”
Stoltenberg was insistent that NATO has no intention of declaring war in cyberspace and has not aimed its digital defenses at any one potential adversary.
“Our cyber capabilities, our cyber defense, is not directed against any particular adversary,” Stoltenberg said. “It is something we have developed…to be able to respond to attacks from any direction.”