As cyber espionage and attacks become an increasingly vital area of national security, Defense One looks at recent efforts by US policymakers to answer a key question: “When would attacks on satellites or computer networks justify retaliation with conventional weapons?”

“Rather than drawing unambiguous red lines, these statements offer a more general message to potential adversaries: as with other strategic domains, nobody can mount significant attacks against the U.S. in space and cyberspace without risking war.”

“According to this principle, if counter-space (an attack on satellites or their ground-based infrastructure) or cyber operations render U.S. forces less capable of defending against conventional missile strikes, the domain in which the initial provocations took place (cyber) would be less important than the results.”

Crossposted from Wonk Wire.