The U.S. Pledges A Harder Line In Cyberspace — And Drops Some Hints

Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, who heads both the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command, usually doesn't say much in public. But recently, he's been on what amounts to a public relations blitz. The message he's pushing is that the U.S. will be more aggressive in confronting and combating rivals in cyberspace.

"I have all the authorities that I need right now to conduct the full spectrum of operations, that's defensive operations all the way to offensive operations. And when I don't have those authorities, I will certainly ask for them," said Nakasone, wearing short sleeves and no tie at the recent RSA Conference, a high-tech gathering in San Francisco.

He's even offering a few select details, a rarity for the super-secretive NSA and Cyber Command.

"For the first time, we sent our cyberwarriors abroad," Nakasone said earlier this month in Capitol Hill testimony about countering Russian attempts to meddle in last fall's midterm elections. "We sent defensive teams forward in November to three different European countries. That's acting outside of our borders that impose[s] costs against our adversaries."