State and Non-State Actors and the ‘new’ Cyber Threat
by jude Wednesday, Jan 23 2013, 9:59am
international / prose / post

It’s ‘out’ with the long or perpetual war on the noun terror and non-State actors and ‘in’ with the new long war strategy in cyberspace against real States -- though we should all be aware that most non-State actors (so-called terrorists) were armed trained and supported by States, so let’s cut the pretend ‘distinction’ for starters; it was always the States intervening directly or by proxy, the KLA in Kosovo and al-Qaeda in Libya, Syria and Mali are all supported by the US government.

This new shift in security focus outlined by Washington’s echo in the South Pacific, Juliar Gillard, is interesting to say the least -- I wonder if anyone informed the ‘terrorists’ that they are no longer a major threat, as if they ever posed a real threat as isolated, unsupported, independent groups! But the real amusement value of the Gillard speech was that she unwittingly verified that Washington orchestrates global terrorist activity and then decides for the world who or what becomes the next major ‘long war’ threat/enemy of the West. Watching Gillard reading from a supplied script was almost as pathetic as watching Obama’s second term inauguration -- these two traitorous lackeys do exactly what they’re told by Plutocrats, Oligarchs and Corporatists.


From the ABC (Oz)

Gillard vows to fight cyber attacks
by Simon Cullen

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned of a decades-long war against the growing risk of malicious cyber attacks and promised to set up a new national centre to combat the threat.

Releasing the Government's National Security Strategy, Ms Gillard spoke of the cyber threat to governments, businesses and individuals, and highlighted the need to strengthen Australia's ability to respond.

She says the Government will set up an Australian Cyber Security Centre by the end of the year to coordinate the efforts of various law enforcement agencies.

"It will provide Australia with an expanded and more agile response capability to deal with all cyber issues - be they related to government or industry, crime or security," she told an audience in Canberra.

"Importantly it will also create a hub for greater collaboration with the private sector, state and territory governments and international partners to combat the full breadth of cyber threats.

"Malicious cyber activity will likely be with us for many decades to come, so we must be prepared for a long, persistent fight."

As part of her speech, Ms Gillard made several references to the tight fiscal environment affecting Australia and its western allies, and spoke of the need to ensure security spending is well targeted.

The Government has come under repeated fire from the Coalition over recent cuts to defence spending and to border control agencies.

Ms Gillard says Australia's defence spending is in the top 15 nations in absolute terms despite the fiscal restraint, but she says the post-9/11 era in which there was a rapid build-up of resources has come to an end.

"We are in a period of consolidation and we need to get the most value out of every dollar expended," Ms Gillard said.

"Therefore our national security arrangements must adapt and respond, harnessing information, ideas and capabilities from all sources and prioritising our spending in a clear-headed way."

Opposition spokesman for defence science, technology and personnel, Stuart Robert, says Labor's track record on defence means the Prime Minister cannot be trusted on national security.

"The national security statement today is accompanied by $7 billion worth of defence cuts this year," Mr Robert told reporters in Canberra.

"How do you credibly defend the sovereignty of Australia and its interests when you have literally hollowed out and gutted the Defence Force to the tune of $25 billion?

"For the Government to say, 'sorry, we're broke, and we aren't going to increase expenditure and you need to keep your (defence) equipment longer', borders on the dangerous."

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings has described the security strategy as "sensible" and "balanced", but says the Prime Minister needs to outline funding.

"Strategy being articulated without the necessary dollars attached to it is really just wishful thinking," Mr Jennings told ABC's The World Today program.

"Ms Gillard talks about zero growth (in funding) over the next few years, I understand that, but there is still difficult resource allocation decisions that have to be made.

"And until that point happens, really what we have is worthy sentiments but we need some traction now in terms of detailed planning."

Ms Gillard says Australia's long-term security interests are strongly linked to continuing stability and peace in Asia.

She says the global economic shift towards Asia will bring great opportunities, but also security challenges that need to be managed.

"We are seeing rising government incomes enabling many states to modernise their defence forces with more advanced capabilities," she said.

"At the same time, population growth and rising wealth levels are putting pressure on energy, water and food resources."

She says the relationship between China and the United States - more than any other relationship - will define the "temperature" of regional affairs over coming years.

"We remain optimistic about the ability of China and the United States to manage change in the region, but their relationship inevitably brings with it strategic competition as China's global interests expand," she said.

Ms Gillard says the consequences of any conflict between the two global powers would be far-reaching and dangerous, significantly raising the stakes of any miscalculation in regional flashpoints such as North Korea, the South China sea, and the tensions that exist between India and Pakistan.

She says Australia will continue to have one of the strongest defence capabilities in the region, and will cooperate with China through high-level military exercises.

She has also flagged plans to increase Australia's diplomatic network, something Foreign Minister Bob Carr spoke of last week.

Terrorism

The Prime Minister says "numerous" terrorist plots in Australia have been foiled in the years since the 9/11 attack in the United States, adding that there have been 23 related convictions.

But she says the recent events in the African nations of Mali and Algeria show that terrorism remains an enduring threat that has the capacity to "surpass our worst fears".

Ms Gillard has identified several key risks, including the continuing instability in developing and fragile nations as well as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

"Iran's nuclear program and North Korea's continuing missile and nuclear programs... are serious threats to world peace and regional stability," she said.

Overnight, the United Nations Security Council, which Australia is now part of, voted unanimously to condemn North Korea's recent launch of a long-range rocket and to impose new sanctions against the regime.

In response, North Korea has said it would "take physical actions" to strengthen its military force.

The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, has described the regime's actions as "provocative".

© 2013 ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-23/gillard-national-security-strategy/4480448