Conditional statements or as they’re more commonly known, IF-THEN statements, are the foundation of almost all programming languages. They allow an automation that looks for a certain circumstance, and if that circumstance exists then an action happens. The action may be the end result or it may send the automation down a path searching for more circumstances, but it is the building block for decision making processes, cyber or otherwise. That’s why it’s so odd that when it comes to defining cyber warfare there doesn’t seem to be a clear set of rules or IF-THEN statements for decision making. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Patrick Walsh to look at defining the red line in cyberspace. What defines an act of warfare, versus crime, versus terrorism in cyberspace. Patrick joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to share his years of experience prosecuting cybercrimes and how he feels laws can better inform decision making and responses to actions in the cyber realm.
We do know that that cyber attacks will be a part of conflicts going forward…and so having a clear definition of where the line is that crosses from cyber harassment or cyber crime to an act of cyber war that can be responded to with conventional war is essential in order to help nations govern themselves going forward.
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Patrick Walsh is a Lieutenant Colonel and Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a former associate professor of national security law at the U.S. Army JAG School. As a civilian, he has prosecuted a variety of crimes including cybercrimes at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He has a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law and an LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He is a member of the AY22 Resident Class at the U.S. Army War College.
Ron Granieri is an Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense.
Photo Credit: Global vector created by GarryKillian – www.freepik.com