Beware of NATO inserting "Cyber Flag" in Asia

警惕北约将“网络战旗”插到亚洲

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Li Jiayao
Time
2022-10-28 19:17:04

秦安

By Qin An

韩国国防部日前发表声明称,韩国军方首次参加由美国网络司令部主办的“网络旗帜23”多国联合演习。演习于本月24日至28日在美国举行,共有25个国家参加。

The ROK Defense Ministry recently issued a statement that the ROK military participated for the first time in the multinational exercise Cyber Flag 23 hosted by US Cyber Command. The exercise was held in the US from October 24 to 28, involving 25 countries.

“网络旗帜”是美网络空间司令部于2011年起每年举办的多国联演,旨在与盟国、伙伴国家加强网络安全态势和合作关系,韩军此次也派出了18人参与演习。关于这次演习的背景和特点已引起广泛关注。

An annual multinational exercise held by the US Cyber Command since 2011, Cyber Flag aims to strengthen the cybersecurity cooperation between the US and its allies and partners. The ROK military also assigned troops to participate this time. The background and features of the exercise have captured extensive attention.

其一,这是一场涉及美国主要盟友,具备联盟性质的红蓝对抗网络战演习。根据韩国网络作战司令部司令的说法,“网络旗帜”演习是加强盟友之间对网络威胁准备及建立相互伙伴关系的重要机会,要在美国的盟友、伙伴之间建立稳定、密切的网络合作关系。其模式类似于2019年美国在中国台湾地区搞过的一次“网络攻防演习”,当时,美国拉着澳大利亚、捷克等超过10个国家进行网络战联合演习,聚焦金融系统,把对关键网络基础设施和经济社会的持久性、混乱性瘫痪网络攻击,作为超越“抢滩登岸”的置顶选项。

First, this is a Red-Blue confrontational cyber warfare exercise involving America’s main allies. According to the ROK military, the Cyber Flag is an important opportunity for intensifying the preparedness and partnership among the allies in response to cyber threats and will build stable and close cyber cooperation among American allies and partners. It was similar to the Cyber Offensive and Defensive Exercise that was organized by the US in China’s Taiwan region in 2019. At that time, the US rallied more than ten countries, including Australia and Czech, and focused on the financial system, giving top priority to sustained and disruptive cyberattacks on key cyber infrastructure, the economy, and the society over “landing operations”.

其二,这是一场不亚于北约军事行动的网络威慑,而且正把“网络战旗”插到亚洲。参加这次演习的消息由韩国网络作战司令部司令宣布,背后的意图比较明确,那就是真正融入以美国为首的北约网络战行动。今年5月,韩国国家情报院宣布成为北约网络防御中心(“网络北约”)的正式成员,是首个加入该组织的亚洲国家。今年9月27日,北约理事会宣布正式接受韩国政府的请求,将韩国驻比利时大使馆指定为北约代表部,韩国成为北约扩展到亚洲的“急先锋”之一。

Second, this is a cyber operation no less deterrent than a NATO military operation, which is inserting the Cyber Flag in Asia. That the news about ROK’s participation in the exercise was announced by its Cyber Operations Commandthe military spoke well of the country’s intention to fully merge into the US-led cyber operation. In May this year, the ROK National Intelligence Service announced that it has become a formal member of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, the first Asian country to join the organization. On September 27, NATO Council announced its acceptance of Seoul’s request to designate the ROK embassy in Belgium as the country’s mission to NATO, making the ROK a vanguard of NATO’s expansion to Asia.

其三,美国及北约正厉兵秣马,为网络战争做准备。早在2021年4月30日美军撤出阿富汗前夕,美国国防部长奥斯汀发表政策讲话称,撤出阿富汗是为了准备下一场战争即网络化战争。也就是说,美军已经将发动网络战争置于传统战争之上,成为“离岸制衡”的优先手段,也有助于其打代理人战争隔山观火。

Third, the US and NATO are whetting their claws to get ready for cyber warfare. Right before America pulled back its troops from Afghanistan on April 30, 2021, US Defense Secretary Austin said in his policy address that the withdrawal was made to get ready for the next war in cyberspace. In other words, the US military has already put waging a cyber war above traditional war. It is a favored approach to “offshore balancing” and can help the country start a proxy war while keeping itself at a safe distance.

韩国首次加入美军组织的“网络旗帜23”多国联合演习,标志着“网络北约”距离我们越来越近,对此以下三个方面需要我们重视并切实融入现实军事斗争准备中去。

ROK’s first-time participation in the US-led multinational exercise Cyber Flag threatens an ever-closer Cyber NATO. In view of this, we must pay close attention to the following three aspects and earnestly get ready for military preparedness.

首先,警惕我周边国家,尤其是IT大国开始加入到美国的网络战演习中。韩国不仅是IT强国,而且其芯片生产能力在世界上也有举足轻重的地位,我们需要高度警惕这种动向及其对半岛局势的进一步影响。

To begin with, we must be wary of surrounding countries, especially major IT powers, joining America’s cyber exercise. ROK is not only strong in IT, but also a vital chip manufacturer in the world. We must be wary of its current tendency and its impacts on the Korean Peninsula situation.

其次,在美国把战略重心转向“印太”,将更多兵力部署到“印太”的同时,还有一个更隐蔽的变化,就是其网络战重心也在向“印太”倾斜。这其中涵盖两个明确的趋势,一个是向亚太地区倾斜,另一个是向网络战聚焦。

We must also take note of a more subtle change as the US is moving its strategic focus to and deploying more troops in the Indo-Pacific – its cyber warfare is also re-pivoted to the region. Here are two obvious trends – the shift to the Asia Pacific and the concentration on cyber warfare.

再次,在信息化时代,网络基础设施关乎国家的安全稳定和社会的顺畅运行,网络战及网络攻击带来的破坏作用变得越来越大。从2010年美国“震网”病毒瘫痪伊朗1000多台核设施的离心机开始,网络霸权国利用优势实施网络攻击的恶劣行为早已伺机而动。2013年,斯诺登事件把美国“从普通网民到盟友国家元首一网打尽”的画皮揭穿。

Moreover, as cyber infrastructure concerns national security and stability and smooth social operation in the information age, cyber warfare and cyberattacks will be more destructive. Ever since the US used Stuxnet to paralyze the centrifugal machines of Iran’s more than 1,000 nuclear facilities in 2010, the cyber bullies have been ready to leverage their tech advantages to launch cyberattacks. In 2013, the Snowden incident exposed America’s true color of putting everyone – from ordinary netizens to state leaders of allies – under indiscriminate surveillance.

现今,看不见的网络战攻防实际已经进入白热化、深水区,网络关键基础设施早已是一个国家重点防御的战略要地。拜登政府新近出台的《国家安全战略》渲染中国“对美构成最严重地缘政治挑战”,眼下又聚焦网络战、推动北约扩张到亚洲。在此背景下,全面提升网络国防整体实力,建设网络攻防实战环境、增强实战能力,我们要做的工作还有很多。

Nowadays, the invisible cyber offensives and defensives have become so heated and complicated that key cyber infrastructure has long been a strategic fortress carefully defended by all countries. The Biden administration has just released the National Security Strategy labeling China as the biggest geopolitical challenge to the US, and now it is focusing on cyber warfare and trying to expand NATO to Asia. Against such a background, China must enhance our overall capability of cyber defense, create a realistic environment for cyber offensives and defensives, and be more prepared for real combat – there is a lot we must do.

(作者是中国警察法学研究会反恐与网络安全治理专委会常务副主任)

(The author is deputy director of the Counterterrorism and Cybersecurity Committee of China Society of Police Law)

 

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