Has the US Just Had its Cyber Sputnik Moment?

As the launch of Russia's Sputnik satellite and the ensuring US-Russia space race resulting in US space superiority have shown, poking America in a serious way may well have its consequences.

America has seemingly been satisfied for all too long to continue on with business as usual in the face of a decade-long barrage of Russian and Chinese cyber attacks targeted at stealing top secret US military weapons and corporate financial, personal and intellectual property.  But as recent actions are starting to demonstrate, the US may have finally had its cyber defense offense ignited in a way that will lead to challenges to such actions.

The combination of Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election and the recent Department of Homeland Security announcement that Russia had  successfully penetrated US power grids - potentially with the capability to plunge portions of the nation into darkness - has begun to awaken the sentiments which may well shape the future deployment of US cyber power.

Enraged US senators and the recent appointments of proactive Mike Pompeo as Defense Secretary and John Bolton as National Security Advisor may be clear signals of an "we've had enough" attitude toward cyber threats. 

Add to this that both Kirstjen Nielsen, the new Homeland Security Secretary and LGen Paul Nakasone, newly named head of the NSA and the US Cyber Command, are calling for offensive cyber actions aimed at derailing further transgressions against the US in cyberspace.

If America's reaction to Sputnik is any example, this response may not play out well for the Russians.