According to recent reports (and keep in mind, these are the non-classified versions), Chinese hackers may have already stolen enough US military data to give the PLA (or any other potential adversary) an ability to redirect US missiles in flight, such that they end up hitting OUR ships, troops, etc. I’ve said it before, and will likely say it again: At some point, cyber-attacks really need to start being called what they are: a cyber-war.
This is, over the very long-term, now reaching 9/11 proportions. That’s not exaggeration and it’s also not just about China. You can be pretty sure Vladimir Putin is financing a lot of this as well (He has the cash and the oil – China has the nerds hidden at random Internet cafes in giant cities like Wuhan that most Americans haven’t heard of…) So there will come a time when what should be a simple Israeli or US strike against terrorists suddenly involves drones hitting our own forces instead of their intended targets. Look — Russian transports are resupplying Syria virtually every day! This is not especially far-fetched.
Also, I’d imagine these revelations aren’t making our commanders on the ground in South Korea feel especially reassured. It’s so damn ludicrous that Congress actually blocked a bill requiring defense contractors to have anti-hacking software in order to get government contracts. That was, beyond question, an enormously unpatriotic and stupid move that went virtually unreported in the press. WAKE THE HELL UP. China basically got its own F-35 system for free so now we actually do need “Gen-5 Fighters†except – Guess what? Our F-22s keep mysteriously crashing because their oxygen systems randomly fail in flight… Coincidence? Let’s just say it all really “grinds my gears.â€