Xinhua reported on the newly formed cyber war alliance between the U.S. and Australia, pointing out that this is the first time the U.S. has included cyber defense in a bilateral treaty, the intention being to increase its military presence in the Asia Pacific region.
The report highlighted U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta’s view that “The Internet is the future battlefield." It quoted Panetta’s statement that, “We not only need to defend against a cyber attack; we also need to be proactive. We not only need to depend on ourselves; we also need to cooperate with our partners. This is the best way to achieve the goal.”
The article also quoted Australia Defense Secretary Smith’s statement, “Cyber security is becoming a big transnational threat. It will be a major topic in the secretary level discussions between Australia and the U.S.”
Source: Xinhua, September 16, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-09/16/c_122041466.htm