WASHINGTON, NOV 20: The Chinese plans for cyberwar, warfare over the Internet, poses a future threat to US military's dominance, Pentagon's top intelligence official, Vice Admiral Thomas Wilson has said.The new director of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) said "we are clearly interested and concerned about this whole idea of information attack," The Washington Times reported on Thursday.China's plans were published in the Chinese army's official newspaper. It bluntly described China's plans for "internet warfare" against finance, commerce, communications, telecommunications and military networks. It said that it is "essential to have an all-conquering offensive technology and to develop software and technology for net offensives so as to be able to launch attacks and counter-measures on the net, including information-paralysing software, information-blocking software and information-deception software".Admiral Wilson said that it is "unsettling" and a "littled bit disturbing" to see the Chinesediscussing information warfare so openly. "We ought to take note, and we have," he said, adding that "a little bit of psychology" may be involved in the Chinese action.To deal with the threat, the Pentagon's defence information system agency has set up a special joint task force known as computer defence network, he said.Speaking about the Chinese military, Admiral Wilson said that China has made it a national priority to build up its military forces. "They are modernising," he said. "They have clearly made that an economic priority."The Chinese build-up, he said, is "across the front" and includes missiles, aircraft and "some power projection capability for the region that we are watching". Analysts have noted that there is apparently little coordination between the military and political wings of the Clinton administration. Thus while the Pentagon is worried about China's power projection capabilities in the region, the political wing would like to strip India of a minimum nuclear deterrent againstthe threat from the west and north. Asked about the possibility that China will attack Taiwan, the Admiral said that unless there is a "dramatic pronouncement" from Taiwan, the prospects of a military attack are low. In any case, he said, an invasion of Taiwan by Chinese forces is not within China's military capabilities right now because the people's liberation army lacks the capability to move forces by air and sea against the island. Richard Allen, former national security adviser, said that the Chinese, by publishing the article on internet warfare, "obviously were trying to send a message." Allen added "they were probably overstating their capabilities, but it indicates a potential adversary's intent."
