US Senate committee on cyber threats
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing into cyber threats to the United States on Thursday, a month after the CIA accused Russia of intervening in November’s election to help Donald Trump. Other US intelligence agencies also accuse Moscow of meddling in the election, but no others have made the link to the president-elect’s campaign.
Senator John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Committee, has called for a tougher approach saying the US should beef up its military presence in the Baltics and provide “defensive weapons to Ukraine”. Instead, President Obama enacted sanctions against Russian officials and expelled 35 Russian ‘operatives’ – a relatively restrained response.
On the other hand, President-elect Trump has taken a notably softer stance on Russia, and in some instances has preferred to criticise his own intelligence agencies rather than the Kremlin.
The hearing will also be an opportunity for US lawmakers to take stock of global cyber capabilities. The US and China are believed to be the world’s preeminent cyber warfare superpowers, with Russia, Israel and the UK also possessing significant capabilities.
