By Wang Qiang
王强
Recently some people in the US have been clamoring for building a new dedicated cyber warfare military service to address the so-called threats posed by China and other rivals. Thereinto, James Stavridis, a retired US Navy admiral and former supreme allied commander of NATO, had stated in a publicized article that the US needs to create a new cyber force.
美国国内近期有不少人造势，宣称应该成立一支专门负责网络战的新军种，以应对所谓“中国等对手带来的威胁”。其中，美国退役海军上将、前北约最高军事长官斯塔夫里迪斯就公开撰文称，美国需要建立一支新的网络部队。
The US military system consists of six major services: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard in the Department of Homeland Security. Stavridis claimed that at a time when the level of cyber threats is no less than that of traditional military attacks, the US should create a dedicated cyber force to safeguard the interest of the country and its allies. In addition, the cyber force was bluntly directed at China, Russia, Iran, DPRK and other countries ideologically different from the West.
目前美国军队体系包括六大军种，分别是陆军、海军、海军陆战队、空军、太空军，以及国土安全部管辖的海岸警卫队。斯塔夫里迪斯宣称，在网络攻击带来的威胁已经不亚于传统军事进攻的今天，美国应通过建立一支专门的网络部队来保卫美国及盟友的利益。此外，他还把美国建立网络部队的矛头公开对准中国、俄罗斯、伊朗和朝鲜等与美西方意识形态存在差异的国家。
In fact, the US has the strongest and largest cyber warfare power in the world. Pentagon set up the US Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) in 2009, but as a joint combat command instead of an independent military service, this organization fails to meet the increasing cyberspace hegemony demands of the country.
实际上，美国拥有世界上能力最强、规模最大的网络战力量。五角大楼于2009年设立了美国网络司令部，但由于这是美军的一个联合作战司令部，并非一个独立军种，因此这一组织架构已经无法满足美国日益增长的网络空间霸权需求。
Major General William J. Hartman, Commander of US Cyber National Mission Force, had declared in a cyber security meeting held by the US not long ago that the US military had dispatched cyber task forces to more than 20 countries to conduct so-called "hunt forward" cyber operational missions. This demonstrates that the country is strengthening its military offensive capability in cyberspace and accelerating cyber combat alliance for global control, so as to continuously consolidate its own hegemonic system. The creation of an independent cyber force military service will programmatically facilitate and unduly connive at the overseas cyber operations of the US military.
在不久前美国组织的一场网络安全会议上，美军网络国家任务部队指挥官哈特曼少将公开表示，美军已经向20多个国家派遣了网络任务部队，执行所谓“前置御敌”网络作战任务。这表明美国正在强化网络领域军事进攻能力，加速打造控制全球的网络战同盟力量，试图以此不断巩固自身霸权体系。如果真的成立一支独立军种——网络部队，那么美军在海外的网络战行动将会在程序上更加便利，甚至肆无忌惮。
Unlike US and Soviet Unioncontest for land, ocean, air and space during the Cold War, the key to current superpower competition and games lies in cyberspace. In other words, the US dispatch of cyber combat forces to over 10 countries is similar to controlling critical waterways by aircraft carrier fleets. Both utilize advanced military technologies in vying for strategic advantages, aiming at safeguarding the global hegemony of the US in essence. This has been clearly reflected in the Cyberspace Superiority Vision issued by the US military, where "superiority" highlights its intention to seek cyber hegemony.
与冷战时期美苏争夺陆地、海洋、天空和宇宙不同，当前的大国竞争博弈关键就在网络空间。简单说，美军向数十个国家派遣网络作战力量，与使用航母舰队控制关键水道一样，都是在用先进军事技术争夺战略优势，本质目的就是维护美国全球霸权。这一点可从美军发布的《主宰网络领域战略》文件中看得清清楚楚，其中“主宰”一词凸显美军意在谋求网络霸权。
Judging from current cyber warfare publications issued by the US military, public infrastructure has been listed as one of its attack targets, involving operational patterns of cyber penetration and physical destruction. The Stuxnet virus invented by the US military was the first cyber warfare technique targeting key infrastructure on record, which led to massive centrifuge collapses in the Iranian nuclear power plants. These tactics have transformed the preliminary cyber security posture confined to the scope of preventing hackers and killing viruses and will pose a great threat to cyber ecology. As the US military cyber combat forces are widely deployed around the globe and possibly form a new independent military service, the result will not simply be a cyberspace arms contest but involve industrial chain restructuring, cyber governance deficit and even deglobalization and other series of severe problems.
从目前美军发布的网络作战出版物看，美军已经将公共基础设施等列为打击目标，作战样式既可以是“网络渗透”，也可以是“物理摧毁”。美军开发的“震网”病毒就是首个被记录的对关键基础设施进行攻击的网络战行为，该病毒曾经使伊朗核电站离心机大规模瘫痪。这些招法改变了网络安全仅仅是“防黑客”“杀病毒”的原初形态，将对网络生态环境带来极大威胁。而随着美军网络作战部队在全球的广泛部署，以及未来有可能成为新的独立军种，接下来所引发的就不只是网络空间军备竞赛的问题了，这将进一步产生包括产业链重组、网络治理赤字乃至逆全球化等一系列严重问题。
At present, the US military is preempting the deployment of cyber forces in new European countries by taking advantage of its leadership role in NATO, and forcing them to be bundled with its technologies and standards and block network and information technologies of other countries. These moves are closely aligned with the greatpower competition strategy agitated by the US.
眼下，美军利用北约盟主优势，抢先在新欧洲国家进行网络军事力量布局，逼迫这些国家捆绑使用美国技术和标准，屏蔽其他国家网信技术产品。这套做法与美国现在鼓吹的“大国竞赢”战略高度一致。
It's worth noting that cyber security is both a real threat and a "virtual" component, but for the hegemonic power of the US, to create a cyber security issue simply requires fabricating a falsehood. For this, the US has long regarded China as its so-called "biggest rival" in cyberspace and frequently invents stories for the sake of groundlessly accusing cyberattack behaviors and hyping the so-called "cyber threats" by China. However, its own persistent cyberattacks on some Chinese universities and scientific research institutes had made it distinct that the US is the veritable largest source of "cyber threats" worldwide.
值得注意的是，网络安全既是现实威胁，也有“虚拟”成分，对于美国这个霸权国家而言，制造网络安全话题，只要编造一个谎言即可。这其中，美国早就以中国为网络空间的“最大对手”，多次捏造事实，指责中国“网络攻击行为”，渲染中国“网络威胁”。而美国对我部分高校等科研机构的持续网络攻击表明，美国才是全世界最大的“网络威胁”源头。
(The author is a military security expert)
（作者是军事安全专家）
Editor's Note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
