Pentagon Cyber Campaign Against ISIS Signals A New Era In Warfare (From Forbes)

The Pentagon revealed on Monday that it has launched a cyber campaign against ISIS aimed at isolating the terrorist group physically and virtually.  Managed by U.S. Cyber Command, the campaign will presumably target every facet of ISIS operations that can be attacked using digital weapons, from online recruiting to raising money to carrying out suicide bombings.  Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter correctly noted that this is “something new in warfare,” and therefore marks a turning point in the history of conflict.  Washington has on occasion used cyber weapons in the past, for instance to disrupt the Iranian nuclear enrichment program, but this is the first time senior officials have stated offensive cyber tools are being used as part of a broader military effort to defeat a foreign adversary.  I have written a commentary for Forbes here.