MAKATI CITY - A United States security expert said cyber protection must be at the center of Philippines’ defense strategy, especially following “direct Chinese attacks” on Filipino cyberspace.
Retired US Marine Corps four-star general John Allen made the statement during a cybersecurity conference on Monday, organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute, in partnership with the Center for New American Security.
Also in attendance during the conference were United States Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, Australian Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu, and Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy. DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy also contributed to the discussion through a recorded video message.
“The liberal, rules-based order is under direct assault by the Russians and the Chinese, and in this long-term hybrid conflict, the Philippines is the subject of direct Chinese attacks on Filipino data and its data networks- a direct assault on Filipino cyberspace,” Gen. Allen, who also served as former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance and US Forces in Afghanistan, said in his speech.
Allen emphasized the importance of having a strong cyberspace amid being “in a state of hybrid conflict with China and Russia”.
“Taking a page from what we've seen and learned from the war in Ukraine, we must assume that Chinese actions in cyberspace are not only aimed at destabilizing segments of Filipino society, it’s aimed at setting the conditions for successful Chinese military operations should this long-term conflict engaged matters erupt into physical war,” Allen said.
“One of the ways to avoid going to war is to be strong in cyberspace, to develop the capacity to defend ourselves and to build the torrent strength that shows the world how powerful we can be together as like-minded nations,” he highlighted.
Allen explained that while war in the physical domain exists such as what is happening in Ukraine and in Gaza, a larger dimension of conflict today is in the cyberspace domain.
“[It] takes the form of direct efforts to attack, corrupt, steal, and destroy our data, and to compromise and interdict our cyber networks and infrastructure, and in so doing, damage our economies, threaten our critical infrastructure, disrupt the peace of our societies, and erode the public confidence of our people in our institutions, our private sector, and our governments,” Allen explained.
“If, indeed, cyberspace is the strategic high ground of this era, then the integrity of data, and the sanctity of our data networks and infrastructure must be defended from the near constant onslaught of our adversaries and our enemies. If, indeed, we choose to think in these terms, then the measures we take now for the protection of our data and our networks must be a logical, strategic national security objective of our countries, and become central to the defense strategies,” he said.
To strengthen deterrence against cyberattacks, Stratbase President Dindo Manhit pushes for a whole-of-society approach.
“As we navigate an increasingly complex geostrategic landscape, a whole-of-Philippine society approach is critical to fully participate in the global digital economy and ensure cyber resilience. This approach opens the space for cooperation and innovation between the public and private sectors,” Manhit said.
“Alongside this, strengthening collaboration with like-minded partners is also crucial. Fortifying defenses against cyber threats is a key element in realizing a peaceful, secure, and stable Indo-Pacific,” he added.
Similiarly, Center for a New American Security’s Technology and National Security Program Director Vivek Chilukuri said it is high time for the Philippines, the United States, and other like-minded states to come together and address the growing cyber-related concerns worldwide.
Chilukuri noted four important trends affecting the current cyber landscape, namely the aspirations from Washington and other diplomatic communities to deepen ties with the Indo-Pacific, the rapid digitization across the region, the aggressive posture from China, which is moving “from a position of espionage and data exfiltration to prepositioning”, and the advent of AI tools, which are “changing the offense and defense balance for cybersecurity in ways that, frankly, remain unresolved”.
“When you put all of these four trends together and you jumble them up, you get a lot of questions and not that many answers in terms of the next steps for the United States, for the Philippines, for countries across the region, to stitch together a more secure cybersecurity architecture. And I think it makes this conversation particularly timely and particularly urgent,” Chilukuri explained.
Furthermore, US Department of State’s former Cyber Security Coordinator Chris Painter pointed out how some nation states are using the cyberspace as tools in “disruptive activities but also [in] preparation for the battlefield”.
“I've seen through my whole career, how hackers whether it be nation states or criminals, have gotten progressively more clever, and have been good in cooperating with each other, more than we cooperate sometimes among the defenders,” Painter said.
“We see penetration of critical infrastructure, not to take it down right now, but to have the capability, if we ended up in a geopolitical crisis, to take it down. And that's something that should concern everyone here,” Painter said.
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