“These kinds of operations, I think, they will
continue,” said Undersecretary of Defense
Margus Matt. But, he added, “I don’t know how
much we will speak of them publicly.”
U.S. officials say they think the risks of a
proactive approach — a country, for instance,
could regard such an operation as a provocation
toward a broader international cyber conflict —
are outweighed by the benefits.
“We believe that inaction in cyberspace
contributes to escalation more than reasonable
action in cyberspace,” said Thomas Wingfield,
deputy assistant secretary of defense for
cyber policy.