The U.S. Navy and its partners face a wave of cyberattacks

Following a first alarming article published last week, a Wall Street Journal article dated March 12, 2019 confirms growing concerns regarding the U.S. military maritime sector.

Referring to a 57-page internal report submitted to then-Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, the newspaper states that the U.S. Navy and its industrial partners are effectively under “cyber siege.” Once again, China is explicitly identified as the main actor, accused of having stolen sensitive military information over recent years, potentially threatening the United States’ position as the world’s leading military power.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the report also highlights the significant challenges faced by the Navy in responding to these threats, particularly when it comes to assessing their real impact and determining the volume of information that may have been compromised. One Navy official even stated that “if we do nothing, we could die.”

The report concludes that these cyber operations may already have given China both short- and long-term military advantages, raising concerns about a possible shift in the global strategic balance.