Structuring for Strategic Cyber Defense: A Cyber Manhattan Project Blueprint

In February 2002, more than 50 leaders in the information assurance field warned the President of the United States of a national strategic vulnerability in the countrypsilas information infrastructure that could cause mortal damage. Six years later, some motion in the direction of a government strategic investment is beginning to get under way. This essay will address the key capabilities needed at a national scale and how those capabilities might drive a vigorous research and technology agenda. The text also addresses several imperative questions: How might we organize a government activity in which many agencies surely need to be involved yet must march in a coherent direction? What lessons can we learn from the post-Sputnik era to regain leadership in the space race? Has a cyber Sputnik already launched, and, if so, is the US already behind in the cyber space race?