Washington–Senior American lawmakers have warned that the United States is already engaged in an active and escalating cyber conflict with its adversaries, cautioning that attacks on critical infrastructure and national systems are taking place in real time and are becoming increasingly difficult to detect or deter.
Speaking during a confirmation hearing, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker said cyber threats are no longer hypothetical. “This is not a theoretical threat,” Wicker said. “This is an ongoing fight occurring right now, even as we speak.”
Wicker noted that US Cyber Command has effectively become the “first and last line of defense” in the cyber domain, operating largely out of public view while confronting adversaries that are rapidly increasing the sophistication of their cyber capabilities. He warned that hostile actors are heavily investing in technologies designed to evade detection and overwhelm existing defenses.
Highlighting domestic risks, Wicker said the challenge is evident in the United States itself, where critical infrastructure remains vulnerable to advanced cyber attacks. He added that similar threats are emerging globally as Washington seeks to position its cyber forces for potential conflict, including in the Indo-Pacific region.
Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd, testifying at his confirmation hearing to lead US Cyber Command while also serving as director of the National Security Agency, told senators that cyber operations are now inseparable from modern warfare and national defense.
“For decades, I have had the opportunity to be a leader, consumer, enabler, generator and integrator of the intelligence and operational capabilities of NSA and Cyber Command,” Rudd said, describing cyber as a domain that demands constant readiness, speed and deep integration across military operations.
“The current strategic environment definitely requires speed, agility, integration of all of our capabilities,” he said, adding that cyber effects are now embedded across the spectrum of military activity.
Ranking Member Senator Jack Reed warned that the United States is entering what he described as a “window of vulnerability,” particularly as adversaries such as China and Russia integrate cyber tools with artificial intelligence and information warfare. Reed questioned whether Cyber Command is sufficiently prepared, noting that the command has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for months and is undergoing structural changes under the “Cyber Command 2.0” initiative.
Rudd said safeguarding democratic processes remains a top priority, stressing the need to counter any foreign interference. “Any foreign attempt to undermine the American process of democracy has got to be safeguarded,” he said, adding that Cyber Command works closely with other federal agencies to address such threats.
The hearing also revealed divisions among lawmakers over whether the United States should adopt a more explicit offensive cyber posture. Senator Dan Sullivan argued that deterrence requires more than a defensive approach, asking whether stronger offensive capabilities could impose real consequences on adversaries conducting persistent cyber attacks.
Rudd responded that Cyber Command must be prepared for both defensive and offensive operations but emphasised that decisions to deploy offensive cyber tools rest with civilian leadership. “We need to have the capability to do both,” he said.
Other senators raised concerns about safeguards to prevent the misuse of cyber and intelligence tools against US citizens. Senator Elissa Slotkin pressed Rudd on whether he would reject any effort to use National Security Agency capabilities against Americans without a clear foreign nexus. (Source: IANS)
