A former commander of the Israeli Air Force recently suggested that Israel take advantage of the possibility of planting online viruses as a method of combat.
Maj. Gen. (res.) David Ivry made the comments in a special panel held by the Israel Defence Magazine, along with Maj. Gen. (res.) Yiftah Ron-Tal and Maj. Gen (res.) David Ben Ba’ashat.
“Today, when considering using military force, one should take into consideration aspects that did not exist before,” Ivry said. “In the online era one has to consider planting a virus or worm as a deterrent before a military operation is carried out.”
Ivry stressed, however, that “one should never give up on a military option, because the worm may not fulfill all the expectations. However, where possible, why go to war in the physical world if you can get the same results in the online world? With correct thinking and intelligent planning you can do almost anything in the online world.”
He described the current trends which the IDF must deal with, including the geo-political changes in the region, and noted among the trends “the intensive use of space and cyberspace.”
“Space is part of the online war,” added Ivry, “and we should expand the scope of investment in this field. Cyberspace is substantially the same as classical electronic warfare. The biggest challenge in this field is to develop new systems quickly. If you do not protect yourself well enough, you’ll find yourself paralyzed by new technology. Technological infrastructures should be prepared based on the industry.”