China’s Infrastructure Gambit: The Urgent Need for a Proactive Cyber Strategy

Beijing has been increasing its efforts to gain access to critical infrastructure in the United States, according to General Timothy D. Haugh, director of the National Security Agency. This move could potentially disrupt or shut down key systems near military bases, causing chaos and slowing the response time in a crisis in the Pacific region or Taiwan.

Haugh emphasized that China’s actions were not limited to stealthy hacking techniques but also included attempts to expand its global dominance and modernize its military force for use against Taiwan by 2027. He stated that Beijing poses an urgent military threat and called for confronting it below the level of armed conflict, particularly in the cyber realm.

Last year, U.S. officials discovered China’s attempts to access critical infrastructure on Guam and in the continental United States through a campaign known as Volt Typhoon. The effort involved Chinese hackers using more sophisticated techniques than ever before to breach systems like wastewater and communication networks, establishing access with the intent of potentially threatening these systems before a direct confrontation between the two countries.

Haugh described China’s cyber capabilities as increasingly sophisticated, highlighting their potential threat to U.S. national security. While he did not discuss specific Cyber Command operations inside China, he mentioned that military efforts were being made to disrupt attacks against the U.S., halt the spread of malware and ransomware, and counter Beijing’s deliberate campaigns aimed at gaining an advantage across all aspects of national power.